—1  |    U.  S.    DEPARTMENT    OF   AGRICULTURE, 


BUREAU  OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY— Bulletin  No 

D.   E.  SALMON,    D.  V.  M.,   Chief  of  Bureau    * 


THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


port  upon  Experiments  Conducted  Under  the  Auspices  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  Dairy  Division,  in  Cooperation 
with  the  Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  and 
the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


S.   M.  BABCOCK   and  H.  L.  RUSSELL,  assisted  by  TJ.  S.  BAER, 

Madison,  Wis., 

A  X 1 1 

L.    L.    VAX   SLVKU,  <;.    A.  SMITH,   and  E.   B.   HART, 
Geneva,  N.  Y.  i 


Wornia 

onaJ 

ity 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 
190  3. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE   Bl  REAU  OF   AMMAI,  INDUSTRY 


Chief:  D.  E.  Salmon.  D.  V.  M. 

Assistant  CJiief:  A.  I>.  Mki.vin.  I>.  V.  S. 

Chief  Clerk:  s.  K.  BuRctf: 

Dairy  Division:  Henry  E.  Alvord,  C.  E.f  chief;  Harry  Hayward,  M.  s..  assistant 
chief. 

Inspection  Division:  A.  M.  Farrington,  l'>.  S.,  D.  V.  M., chief:  E.  B.  Jones,  LI*  ML, 
M.  I>-.  assistant  chief. 

Miscellaneous  Division:  Richard  \V.  Hickman.  Ph.  <C,  V.  .M.  !>..  chief. 

Editor:  George  Fayette  Thompson.  M.  S. 

Artist:  W.  S.  I).  II  vines. 

Expert  in  Animal  Husbandry:  George  M.  Uommki..  B.  S.  A. 

Librarian:   BEATRICE  C.  Obkki.y. 

LABORATORIES. 

Bibchemic  Division:  E.  A.  de  Schweinitz,  I'll.  T>..  M.  D.,  chief;  Marion  Dorset, 
M.   1)..  assistant  chief. 

Pathological  Division:  John  R.  Moiilki:,  A.  M..  \r.  3Vf.  I).,  chief:  Henry  .1.  \V  ish- 
PURN,  I>.  V.  S.,  acting  assistant  chief. 

Zoological  Divmon:  Cn.  Wabdell  Stiles,  «M".  S.,  A.  M.,  I'll.  D.,  consulting  zoologist 
in  charge. 

experiment  station. 
Supt  ':   E.  C.  ScHBORDEB,  M.  I  >.  \\:  expert  assistant.  VY.   I'..  COTtoifr. 

INSPECTORS   IN  charge. 


Dr.  P.  L.  no 'Wolf,  cart'  Chas.  WoliT  Packing  Oo., 
Topefca,  Kans. 

Dr.  Geo.  Ditewig,  care  Tri-City  Packing  Co.,  Dav- 
enport, Iowa. 

Dr.  E.  P.  Doud.  care  Wbiic.  Pevey  .V:  Dexti 
Worcester,  Mass. 

Dr.  o.  E.  Dyson.  316  Exchange  Building,  rnioii 


Dr.  F.  W.  Ainsvorth.  East   Liberty  Stock  Yards, 

Pittsburg,  i'nfi 
Dr.  M.  o.  Anderson,  eare  Geo.  a.  Home]  &  Co., 

Austin,  Minn. 
Dr.    Don  c.  Aycr,   Post-Office  Building,    South 

Omaha,  Nebr. 
Dr.  John  A.  Bell,  Watertown,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  c.  s  Baker,  6th  and  Tpwnsendsts.,  San  i-'ian  stock  yards,  Chicago,  III. 

cisco,  cal.  Dr.  Geo.  C.  Faville,  Box  796,  Norfolk.  Va. 

Dr.  L.  K.  Baker,  care  I'nion  stock  Yanls.  cinciu-  Dr.  X.  K.   Fegiey,  care  Sperfy  &   Barnes,  New 

nati.  Ohio.  Haven   Conn. 

Dr.  Boyd  Baldwin,  care  Cudahy  Bros.,  Cudahy,  Dr.  John  Forbes,  Exchange  Building,  South  St. 

Wis.  '  Joseph,  Mo. 

Dr.  A.   E.   Behnke,  room  182  Federal  Building,  Dr.  T.   A.  Geddes,  care  r.  s.  Consul,  London. 

Milwaukee.  Wis.  England. 

Dr.  s.  E  Bennett  147  Milk  St.,  Boston,  M  :  Dr.  II.  H. George,  507Johnsbn  st.,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Dr.  Fred   Braginton,  care  Continental   Packing  Dr.  W.  H.  Gibbs,  care  Morton-Gregson  Co 

Co.",  Bloomington,  111.  braska  City,  Nebr. 

Dr.  J.  .1.  Brougham,  care  Missouri   Stock   Yards,  Dr.  L.  K.  Greeu,  care  Hammond,  Standish  A  Co., 

St    Louis    Mo.  Detroit.  Mich. 

Dr.   G.  W.   Butler,   care   Druniinond    Bros.,    Kan  Dr.  II.  A    lledrick,  215  St.  Paul  St.,  Baltimore,  M&. 

Claire,  Wis.  Dr.  t  >.  B.  Bess,  care  Frye-Bruhn  Company,  Seattle, 

Dr.  Richard  .1.  Blanche,  care  Brittain  &  Co.,  Mar  Wash. 

sballtown,  Iowa.  Mr.  Q    S   Hickox,  P.  0.  box   1146,  Salt  Lake  City, 

Dr.  W.  S    Cass  ,-are  West  Lincoln  Stock   Yards,  Utah. 

Lincoln.  Nebr.  Mr.  Win.   E.  Hill,  2202   E.   Fourth  st.,  Sta.  B,   Los 

Dr.  .1.  B.  Clancy,  N'alional  Stock  Yards.  111.-  Angeles,  Cal. 

Dr.  Charles  Cowic.  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.  Dr.  A.  A.  Holcombe,  Aurora,  111. 

Dr.  David  Cumming,  HI-'  Lapeer ave.,  Port  Huron,  Dr.  Julius  Hudson,  care  Central  stock  Yard-  Co., 

Mich.  Jersey  Citj 

Dr.    Robert   Darling,   care   Chas.    S    Hardy.   San  Dr.  K,  W.  Huntington,  G.  T.  R.  R,  Building,  Port 

Diego,  Cal.  land.  Me. 

Dr.  .1.  P,  Deadman,  Sanlt  Ste    Marie.  Mich.  Mr.  .lames  Irwin.  Anbnrn,  111. 

Mr    Albert   Dean,   room  328  Stock   Yard  Station.  Dr.    Charles    Keane.  care  Cndahy    Packing 

Kansas  City,  Kans.  Los  Angeles,  Oal. 

[Continued  on  3d  page  of  coyer.] 

"Transferred.   August   It'..  1902,   to   C.  S.    Public  Health  and   Marine-Hospital  Service,  as  Chief  of 

Di\  ision  of  Zoology,  but  remains  also  in  temporary  charge  of  Zoological   Division.  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry. 


U.   S.    DEPARTMENT    OF   AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU   OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY— Bulletin  No.  49. 

D.   E    SALMON,    D.  V.  M.,   Chief  of  Bureau. 


THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


Report  upon  Experiments  Conducted  Under  the  Auspices  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 

Agriculture,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  Dairy  Division,  in  Cooperation 

with  the  Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  and 

the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BY 


S.  M.  BABCOCK  and  H.  L.  RUSSELL,  assisted  by  U.  S.  BAER, 

Madison,  Wis., 
AND 

L.  L.  VAN  SLYKE,  G.  A.  SMITH,  and  E.  B.  HART, 

Geneva,  N.  Y. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 

100  a. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/coldcuringofcheeOObabciala 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Animal  Industry, 

Washington,  D.  C,  August  1,  1903. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  manuscript  on  the 
cold-curing  of  cheese,  being  a  report  of  a  cooperative  experiment  of 
the  Dairy  Division  and  the  experiment  stations  of  Wisconsin  and  New 
York.  The  work  has  been  very  complete  and  the  results  satisfactory 
in  a  high  degree,  and  I  therefore  recommend  that  this  manuscript  be 
published  as  a  bulletin  of  this  Bureau. 

Respectfully,  D.  E.  Salmon, 

Chief  of  Bureau. 
Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary. 


LETTER  OF  SUBMITTAL 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Animal  Industry, 

Washington,  D.  C,  June,  1903. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith,  in  manuscript,  reports 
made  by  officers  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  of  Wisconsin 
and  New  York  upon  experiments  in  the  cold-curing  of  cheese  recently 
conducted  in  cooperation  with  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
recommend  publication  of  the  same  as  a  bulletin  of  this  Bureau. 

The  work  has  been  under  the  general  supervision  of  the  Dairy 
Division,  and  I  desire  to  acknowledge  the  cordial  cooperation  of  the 
two  experiment  stations  named  and  their  respective  representatives, 
the  material  assistance  of  the  cold-storage  companies  at  Waterloo, 
Wis.,  and  New  York  City,  and  the  important  and  efficient  services  of 
the  cheese  experts  who  acted  as  scorers  or  judges,  as  described  in  the 
reports. 

Very  respectfully,  yours,  Henry  E.  Alvord, 

Chief'  of  Dairy  Division. 
Dr.  D.  E.  Salmon, 

Chief  of  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry. 

(Dairy  49.) 


CONTENTS 


Page. 

Introduction 7 

Object  of  the  experiments 9 

The  Western  experiments,  1902-03 11 

Selection  of  the  cheese 11 

Temperatures  at  which  the  cheese  was  cured 13 

Details  of  scoring  the  cheese 13 

Results  of  experiments 14 

Part  I. — Shrinkage  of  cheese  in  weight  when  cured  at  different  temper- 
atures     15 

Factors  influencing  the  rate  of  loss 15 

Experiments  in  shrinkage  of  cold-cured  cheese 16 

Details  of  weighing 17 

.  Conditions  under  which  the  cheese  was  stored 17 

Discussion  of  results 19 

A.  Influence  of  temperature  on  shrinkage 20 

B.  Influence  of  size  and  form  of  cheese  on  shrinkage 28 

C.  Influence  of  paraffining  cheese  on  shrinkage  during  curing 33 

Part  II. — Effect  of  temperature  on  quality  of  cheese 36 

A.  Course  of  curing  at  different  temperatures 36 

Course  of  ripening  in  type  1 36 

Course  of  ripening  in  type  II 41 

Course  of  ripening  in  type  III 43 

B.  Examination  by  commercial  experts 44 

Results  of  first  jury  trial 46 

General  summary  of  the  first  (three  months' )  test 48 

Results  of  second  jury  trial 48 

General  summary  of  second  (five  months')  test 49 

Comparison  of  the  first  and  second  jury  trials  as  indicating  the 

keeping  quality  of  the  cheese 49 

Summary  of  effect  of  temperature  on  quality 50 

C.  Influence  of  paraffining  on  quality  of  cheese 51 

General  summary 53 

Effect  on  shrinkage 53 

Effect  on  quality 54 

Appendix 57 

The  Eastern  experiments,  1902-03 v 71 

Summary 71 

Report  on  results  of  curing  cheese  in  cold  storage 72 

Introduction 72 

Description  of  sources  and  character  of  different  lots  of  cheese  used  in 

the  experiment 72 

Length  of  experiment ; 75 

Distribution  of  cheeses  in  cold  storage 75 

Loss  of  weight 76 

Results  of  commercial  examination  of  cheese 78 

Results  of  chemical  analysis  of  cheese 82 

Some  practical  applications 85 

Economy  in  reducing  loss  of  moisture 85 

5 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATES. 

Facing  page. 

Plate  I. — Three  cheese  sections — Type  I 38 

II. — Two  vertical  cheese  sections — Type  I - 38 

III. — Two  cheese  sections — Type  II 42 

IV. — Three  cheese  sections — Illinois  cheese 46 

TEXT   FIGURES. 

Page. 

Fk ;.  1. — Temperature  record  of  40°  curing  room 18 

2. — Temperature  record  of  50°  curing  room 18 

3. — Temperature  record  of  60°  curing  room 19 

4. — Weight  losses — Type  I,  cured  at  different  temperatures 22 

5. — Weight  losses — Type  II,  cured  at  different  temperatures 25 

6. — Weight  losses — Type  III.     Michigan  cheese 26 

7. — Weight  losses.     10-pound  prints 29 

8. — Weight  losses.     20-pound  ' '  Daisies  " 30 

9. — Weight  losses.     Small  cheese,  cured  at  40°  F 30 

10. — Weight  iosses.     Small  cheeses,  cured  at  50°  E 31 

11. — Weight  losses.     Small  cheeses,  cured  at  60°  F 32 

12. — Weight  losses.     20-pound  Daisies,  paraffined 34 

13. — Weight  losses.     10-pound  prints,  paraffined 35 

14.  —Flavor  for  type  1 37 

15.— Texture,  for  type  I 38 

16.— Price  for  type  I 39 

17.— Flavor  for  type  II 40 

18.— Texture  for  type  II 40 

19.— Price  for  type  II 42 

20.— Flavor  for  type  III 42 

21.— Texture  for  type  1 1 1 43 

22.— Price  for  type  III 44 

6 


THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

By  Henry  E.  Alvord,  C.  E., 
(.'hie/  of  Dairy  Division,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry. 

The  prevalent  opinion  among  cheese  dealers  has  always  been  that 
low  temperatures,  varying-  from  35°  or  40°  to  50°  F.,  or  thereabouts, 
resulted  in  the  production  of  an  inferior  quality  of  cheese,  in  com- 
parison with  that  from  60°  to  70°  F.  No  carefully  controlled  experi- 
ments bearing  on  this  problem  have  been  recorded  earlier  than  those 
undertaken  by  Babcock  and  Russell  at  the  Wisconsin  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  and  described  in  the  Fourteenth  (1897)  Annual 
Report  of  that  station.  The  results  of  those  tests  showed  that  cheese 
placed  at  refrigerator  temperatures  (45°  to  50°  F.)/'  directly  from  the 
press,  was  of  superior  quality  as  to  flavor  and  also  as  to  texture,  and 
that  such  cheese  was  wholly  free  from  an}T  bitter  or  other  undesirable 
taints. 

In  connection  with  their  studies  on  the  influence  which  galactase 
and  rennet  extract  exert  on  the  progress  of  cheese  ripening,  the  same 
investigators  later  employed  still  lower  temperatures  (25°  to  30°  F.). 
Cheeses  were  kept  at  these  excessively  low  curing  temperatures  for  a 
period  of  eighteen  months.  The  qualit}r  of  these  cheeses,  cured  as 
they  were  below  the  freezing  point  throughout  their  whole  history, 
was  exceptionally  fine,  and  emphasized  still  more  than  the  previous 
experiments  did  the  fact  that  the  ripening  of  cheese  can  go  on  at  much 
lower  temperatures  than  has  heretofore  been  considered  possible. 

These  results  led  to  an  extended  series  of  experiments,  in  which 
cheese  made  on  a  commercial  scale  was  cured  at  a  range  of  tempera- 
ture from  below  freezing  (15°  F.)  to  60° — a  point  which  common  prac- 
tice has  now  accepted  as  the  best  obtainable  temperature  that  can  be 
secured  without  the  use  of  artificial  refrigeration. 

In  these  experiments  (consisting  of  five  series  made  at  intervals 
throughout  a  period  of  twTo  }Tears)  138  cheeses  were  used,  for  which 
30,000  pounds  of  milk  were  required.  These  experiments  were  upon 
a  scale  which  represented  commercial  conditions,  and  therefore  obvi- 

«  The  first  public  presentation  of  these  experiments  was  made  at  the  meeting  of 
the  Wisconsin  Cheesemakers'  Association,  in  February,  1901. 

7 


8  MIUKM'    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

ated  the  objection  which  is  often  urged  in  commercial  practice  against 
the  application  of  results  derived  simply  from  laboratory  experiments. 

The  results  of  these  tests  may  be  found  detailed  in  Bulletin  No.  91. 
and  the  Eighteenth  (1901)  and  the  Nineteenth  (1902)  Annual  Reports 
of  the  Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

The  Ontario  Agricultural  College  began  experiments  on  the  cold 
curing  of  cheese  in  April,  1901;  As  a  result  of  these  tests,  the  con- 
clusion was  drawn  that  the  cheese  cured  at  low  temperatures  (37. 8°  F.) 
was  much  superior  to  that  cured  in  ordinary  curing  rooms  (average 
temperature  during  season  63.8°  F.).  Mr.  R.  M.  Ballantyne.  a  promi- 
nent cheese  expert,  said  of  this  cheese  that  "  they  [the  merchants] 
universally  expressed  surprise  at  the  condition  of  the  cheese  that  was 
put  into  cold  storage  at  the  earliest  period  (that  is,  directly  from  the 
press),  as  they  expected  to  find  the  cheese  still  curdy  and  probably  with 
a  bitter  flavor."  If  this  experiment  is  borne  out  by  other  experts, 
it  would  appear  as  if  the  best  way  to  handle  hot- weather  cheese 
would  be  to  ship  it  to  the  cold  storage  directly  after  making,  and 
this  would  certainly  mean  a  great  revolution  to  the  trade.rt 

More  extensive  experiments  are  in  progress  in  Canada,  but  the 
results  have  not  yet  been  published,  although  general  statements  have 
been  made  confirming  previous  conclusions. 

A  considerable  number  of  experiments  have  also  been  made  at  other 
stations  (Dominion  government  tests  and  New  York  State  and  Iowa 
experiment  stations),  where  somewhat  lower  temperatures  were  used 
than  those  which  are  normally  emplo}red  for  ripening.  The  results 
obtained  all  show  an  improvement  in  quality  that  becomes  more 
marked  as  the  temperature  is  reduced. 

In  order  that  a  much  larger  experiment  might  be  instituted,  covering 
the  different  types  of  cheese  as  represented  by  Eastern  as  well  as  West- 
ern manufacture,  Drs.  Babcock  and  Russell,  of  the  Wisconsin  Station, 
presented  this  matter  for  consideration  to  the  Dairy  Division  of  the 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industiy.  As  a  result  of  this  proposal  the  officers 
of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  were  also  consulted 
and  plans  perfected  for  the  cooperative  experiments  conducted  simul- 
taneously in  Wisconsin  and  New  York,  which  are  described  in  full  in 
this  bulletin.  It  should  be  noted  that  it  was  so  late  in  the  season  of 
19»>2  when  the  arrangements  for  this  work  were  completed  that  it  was 
impossible  to  obtain  favorable  conditions  in  all  respects. 

It  was  deemed  desirable  that  the  cheese  to  be  tested  should  represent 
the  product  of  as  wide  a  range  of  territory  as  possible,  and  therefore 
it  was  decided  to  establish  two  curing  stations — one  in  the  East  and  the 
other  in  the  WTest.  Drs.  S.  M.  Babcock  and  II.  L.  Russell  were  put 
in  charge  of  the  Western  experiments  and  Dr.  L.  L.  Van  Slyke  and 
Mr.  (t.  A.  Smith  of  those  in  the  East. 


«  Bulletin  No.  121,  Ontario  Agricultural  College,  June,  1902. 


THE    COLD    CUEING    OF    CHEESE.  9 

OBJECTS   OF   THE    EXPERIMENTS. 

In  addition  to  the  influence  which  a  range  in  temperature  exerts  on 
the  qualit}r  of  cheese,  as  determined  by  flavor  and  texture  scores, 
instructions  were  also  issued  to  secure  data  regarding  the  loss  in  weight 
w*hich  the  different  lots  of  cheese  suffered  at  the  different  temperatures. 
The  commercial  quality  of  the  product  was  to  be  determined  by  a  jury 
of  experts  who  were  thoroughly  in  touch  with  the  demands  of  the 
market.  Although  the  effect  of  coating  cheese  with  paraffin  soon  after 
being  taken  from  the  hoop  was  not  at  first  proposed  as  a  part  of  this 
work,  it  was  finally  included,  both  East  and  West. 

The  reasons  for  selecting  40°,  50°,  and  60°  F.  as  the  temperatures  to 
be  used  in  these  experiments  are  fully  given  on  a  later  page.  It  may 
be  assumed  that  the  advantages  of  a  cool  and  even  temperature  in  cur- 
ing Cheddar  cheese  have  been  already  established  in  preference  to  a 
warm  temperature  or  to  very  variable  conditions  which  frequently 
include  periods  above  70°  and  sometimes  much  higher.  As  already 
stated,  60°  or  thereabouts  is  regarded  as  the  lowest  temperature  prac- 
ticable without  artificial  refrigeration;  this  may  therefore  be  taken  as 
fairly  representative  of  what  may  be  called  a  "cool"  temperature  for 
curing  cheese.  And  rooms  held  at  40°  and  50°  were  selected  as  rep- 
resentative of  a  "cold"  temperature  for  curing,  or  comparatively  so. 
It  is  thus  hoped  to  emphasize  by  these  experiments  the  distinction 
between  cool  curing  and  cold  curing. 

The  cheese  for  these  experiments  was  purchased  by  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  which  also  paid  all  expenses  of 
transportation  and  storage  and  for  the  experts  who  made  the  period- 
ical examinations.  The  two  experiment  stations  selected  the  cheese, 
arranged  all  details  of  storage  and  examination,  supervised  the  work 
throughout,  performed  the  chemical  and  other  incidental  scientific 
work,  kept  the  records,  and  reported  results. 


10 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Iii  order  that  a  uniform  system  of  scoring  might  he  followed  in  the 
experiments,  the  appended  score  card  was  used  for  hoth: 

Kxi'ERIMKXTS     IN    OOBDTO    CKKHSjE    AT     Lo\V    Tk.M  I'KKAIT  BBS,     UmTEI)     S'I'ATKs     I  Mci'ART- 
MENT   OF   AGRKlLTrKE,    BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY,   DAIRY   DIVISION. 

Cheese  judging — Numerical  and  descriptive  dcore  card. 

Score  for  Cheese  (or  sample)  marked 

NUMERICAL  SCOBS. 
Perfection:  Flavor 45 points.  Texture  80  points.  Color  16  points. 

Score:  do do do 

Date:  ,190    .        Initials  of  the  judge:  

DESCRIPTIVE  SCORE.     (Check  the  faults  below.) 


Flavor. 


Texture  and  body. 


Color. 


Perfect Clean 

High Flat  or  low 

Too  high  acid 

Needs  more  acid 

Sour Sweet 

Tainted Weedy 

Barny Cowy 

Old  milk 

Poor  sewerage,  dirty  cans 


Perfect 

Straight 

Translucent 

White  specks 

Streaked Wavy . 


Perfect Silky 

Smooth Waxy 

Pasty Salvy 

Stiff Weak 

Curdy Mealy 

Tallowy Gritty I  Mottled'.'. Acid  cut . 

Close Loose Too  high Too  light. 

Holes,  mechanical Uncolorcd 

Holes,  gas Holes,  Swiss.  . 

Watery Too  dry 


Each  of  the  following  reports,  prepared  hy  the  two  experiment  sta- 
tions participating  in  this  work,  treats  the  same  general  subject  and 
similar  lines  of  experiment  and  observation  from  its  own  point  of 
view.  The  reports  therefore  differ  in  many  respects,  and  yet  they  may 
be  easily  compared  upon  all  essential  points.  Both  support  the  follow- 
ing general  conclusions: 

ADVANTAGES    OF     CURING     CHEESE      AT     LOW     TEMPERATURES     RIJIKFLY 

SUMMARIZED. 

(1)  The  loss  of  moisture  is  less  at  low  temperatures,  and  therefore 
there  is  more  cheese  to  sell. 

(2)  The  commercial  quality  of  cheese  cured  at  low  temperatures  is 
better,  and  this  results  in  giving  the  cheese  a  higher  market  value 

(3)  Cheese  can  be  held  a  long  time  at  low  temperatures  without 
impairment  of  quality. 

(4)  By  utilizing  the  combination  of  paraffining  cheese  and  curing  it 
at  low  temperatures  the  greatest  economy  can  be  effected. 


THE  WESTERN  EXPERIMENTS,  1902-03. 

Conducted  by  S.  M.  Babcock  and  H.  L.  Russell,  assisted  by  U.  S.  Baer, 
Of  the  Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

For  the  purposes  of  this  experiment  Chicago  would  naturally  have 
been  chosen  as  a  curing  station,  but  it  was  found  difficult  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  range  of  temperature  desired.  Suitable  arrange- 
ments, however,  were  made  at  the  cold-storage  warehouse  of  the  Roach 
&  Seber  Co.,  Waterloo,  Wis.,  where  rooms  were  fitted  up  and  the 
desired  temperatures  secured. 

SELECTION   OF   THE   CHEESE. 

As  Wisconsin  is  the  leading  cheese- producing  State  of  the  West,  the 
bulk  of  the  product  selected  for  experiment  was  of  the  type  of  cheese 
manufactured  in  this  State.  In  order,  however,  to  cover  more  thor- 
oughly the  cheese-producing  territory  of  the  West,  samples  were  also 
secured  from  a  number  of  the  neighboring  States.  In  this  way  all 
types  of  American  cheese  were  obtained,  ranging  from  the  firm,  typ- 
ical Cheddar  cheese,  suitable  for  export,  to  the  soft,  open-bodied,  moist 
cheese,  intended  for  early  consumption.  For  convenience  we  may 
group  these  various  lots  of  cheese  under  three  different  types,  as 
follows: 

I.  Close-bodied,  firm,  long- keeping  type,  suitable  for  export  trade 
(typical  Cheddar). 

II.  Sweet-curd  type. 

III.  Soft,  open-bodied,  quick-curing  type,  suitable  for  early  con- 
sumption. 

Type  I  represents  the  class  of  cheese  that  is  especially  manufactured 
in  Wisconsin,  while,  as  a  rule,  type  III  represents  the  kind  of  cheese 
that  is  chiefly  made  in  Michigan.  The  representatives  of  the  sweet- 
curd  tj'pe  were  taken  from  Iowa  and  Illinois,  although  this  class  is 
made  to  some  extent  in  all  sections. 

The  table  herewith  gives  the  location  of  the  factories  from  which 
the  different  lots  were  secured,  also  the  size  and  amount  of  cheese  so 
purchased. 

1] 


12 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 
Origm  of  cheese  and  quantitiex  used  in  rxju-rlmnits. 


Origin  and  type. 

Style. 

Number. 

Weight. 

I . — Export  type. 
Wisconsin: 

Thos.  Johnston,  Boaz,  Richland  County 

Flats  

20 
18 

18 
fiu 
40 

20 
20 

'.» 

9 

29 

13 

Pounds. 
662 

P.  H.  Kasper,  Nicholson,  Waupaca  County 

La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  Alma,  Buffalo  Count  v 

Do .- 

do 

do 

Daisies 

Prints 

Flats 

571 

588 

1,151 

400 

II. — Sweet-curd  type. 
Iowa: 

607 

Illinois: 

J.  B.  Gilbert*  Co.,  Sterling,  Whiteside  County 

do 

583 

III. — Soft,  home-trade  type. 
Michigan: 

A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Saginaw  County: 

I 

Flats  

287 

II do 

287 

III 

do 

9'JI 

IV 

do 

415 

In  having  the  cheese  made  at  these  various  factories  directions  were 
given  for  the  use  of  a  uniform  amount  of  rennet  and  salt.  Color  was 
left  optional  for  each  maker  to  follow  his  customary  practice.  The 
use  of  3£  ounces  of  Hansen's  rennet  extract  and  2£  pounds  of  salt  per 
1,000  pounds  of  milk  was  recommended  in  each  case  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  smaller  cheeses  (daisies  and  10-pound  prints),  which  were 
salted  at  the  rate  of  2£  pounds  per  1,000  pounds  of  milk.  The  cheese 
was  made  from  September  26  to  October  4.  The  condition  of  the 
milk  was  influenced  in  several  instances  by  the  fact  that  severe  frosts 
had  occurred  in  some  sections,  which  injured  the  quality  of  the  prod- 
uct. This  was  particularly  true  in  the  case  of  the  Alma  cheese,  which 
was  in  consequence  somewhat  tainted.  The  milk  from  which  the  Iowa 
cheese  was  made  was  also  reported  as  of  inferior  quality.  The 
Michigan  goods  were  too  high  in  acid,  and  were  cooked  low,  making 
a  soft  cheese,  which  was  quick-curing  and  which  kept  poorly. 

Where  it  was  necessary  to  secure  cheese  from  such  a  wide  range  of 
territory  it  was  manifestly  impossible  to  expect  that  the  curing  could 
be  carried  out  as  satisfactorily  as  if  it  had  been  done  at  or  near  the 
factories.  The  vaiying  period  of  transit  to  which  the  cheese  was  sub- 
jected, with  no  especial  temperature  control,  affected,  of  course,  the 
initial  stages  of  curing,  but  the  conditions  of  the  experiment  prevented 
the  carrying  out  of  immediate  installation  of  the  cheese  in  the  cold 
curing  rooms,  especially  in  the  case  of  those  made  outside  of  Wis 
consin,  although  the  shipments  were  made  in  October,  when  the 
temperature  range  was  moderate.. 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


13 


TEMPERATURES   AT   WHICH   THE    CHEESE   WAS   CURED. 

The  cheese  was  weighed  and  put  in  the  respective  rooms  as  soon  as 
received  at  Waterloo.  It  was  stored  in  boxes  during  the  curing,  as  is 
the  custom  in  the  handling  of  cold-storage  goods.  The  temperatures 
at  which  it  was  desired  to  hold  the  cheese  for  curing  were  40°,  50°, 
and  60°  F.  These  points  were  selected  for  the  following  reasons:  In 
our  previous  experiments  we  had  found  that  the  character  of  the  cheese 
cured  at  the  lower  temperatures  (40°  and  50°)  was  much  better  than 
that  produced  at  60°.  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  pur- 
pose of  the  experiment  if  the  cold-cured  cheese  could  have  been  com- 
pared with  the  same  make  of  cheese  cured  under  the  widely  variable 
conditions  which  prevail  in  most  factories,  where  often  the  maximum 
temperature  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  80°  F.  and  the  fluctuation  is  20° 
or  more;  but  we  have  made  this  comparison  with  the  very  best  con- 
ditions that  obtain  in  factories  provided  with  subearth  ducts  and  other 
means  of  temperature  control.  In  such  cases  a  temperature  of  60°  can 
be  maintained  with  a  fair  degree  of  constancy.  The  experiments, 
therefore,  compare  the  cold-curing  process  with  that  of  the  best  pre- 
vailing conditions. 

The  temperatures  actually  maintained  varied  only  slightly  from  the 
chosen  points,  and  in  the  two  colder  rooms  were  remarkably  uniform. 
The  60°  room  was  subject  to  somewhat  wider  fluctuations,  but  was 
much  more  uniform  than  is  obtained  in  summer  where  no  artificial 
refrigeration  is  practiced.  The  following  table  gives  the  average  of 
all  the  observations  made  at  regular  intervals  and  the  maximum  and 
minimum  observed  throughout: 


« 

Temperature  records. 

Cold  rooms. 

Normal 

Low. 

Medium. 

ture. 

o  p_ 
36.8 
37.0 
35.0 

o  p_ 

46.9 
47.5 
45.0 

o  p_ 

58.5 

61.0 

57.0 

The  daily  fluctuations  were  inconsequential,  as  can  be  seen  by  a 
series  of  graphs  taken  from  the  registering  instrument. 


DETAILS   OF   SCORING    THE    CHEESE. 


It  would  have  been  advisable  to  have  the  cheese  examined  a  consid- 
erable number  of  times  by  the  commercial  judges,  but  it  was  impossible 
to  carry  out  this  test  so  frequently.  The  tests  were  therefore 
arranged  to  come  at  those  periods  which  would  give  the  judges  the 


14  BUREAU    ok    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

most  accurate  idea  of  the  character  of  the  cheese  held  at  the  different 
temperatures. 
As  a  jury  of  commercial  experts,  representing  the  different  markets, 

the  following  gentlemen  were  selected:  C.  A.  White,  of  Fond  da  Lac, 
resident  representative  in  Wisconsin  of  a  leading  dairy  produce  house 
of  New  York;  T.  B.  Millar,  of  London,  Ontario,  a  cheese  expert  and 
large  buyer  for  the  export  trade,  and  John  Kirkpatrick,  a  member  of 
a  leading  produce  firm  of  Chicago. 

For  the  jury  trials  representative  cheeses  were  taken  from  storage 
and  shipped  by  refrigerator  service  to  Chicago,  where  they  were  sub- 
mitted to  a  thorough  examination  by  the  commercial  judges.  The 
first  of  these  commercial  scorings  was  made  when  it  was  found  that 
the  60°  product  was  ready  for  market.  This  test  was  made  on  Janu- 
ary 6,  1903.  Another  test  was  made  on  March  23,  when  the  cheese 
was  about  7  months  old. 

It  might  at  first  thought  seem  preferable  to  have  had  the  cheese  sold 
in  the  open  market  and  thus  secured  a  strict  commercial  valuation  on 
the  product,  but,  as  everyone  knows,  a  considerable  variation  in 
quality  ina\r  exist  without  an  appreciable  difference  being  made  in  the 
market  price.  Then,  too,  the  inevitable  fluctuations  in  the  market 
price  would  render  comparisons  at  different  periods  untrustworthy. 
To  obviate  these  difficulties  the  cheese  was  scored  on  the  basis  of  a 
standard  price  (13  cents).  The  fact  that  but  few  of  the  cheeses  reached 
this  standard  should  not  be  interpreted  as  indicating  a  poorer  quality 
than  the  average  market  product,  for  the  cheese  was  adjudged  by  the 
jury  to  be  superior  in  quality;  but  the  price  was  in  part  determined 
by  the  market  appearance  of  the  goods,  which  was  somewhat  inferior 
because  of  the  fact  that  they  had  been  box -cured  and  had  received 
practically  no  care  in  curing,  as  the  curing  station  was  located  at  a 
distance  from  Madison. 

The  scores  of  the  commercial  jury  were  supplemented  by  a  series  of 
scores  made  by  Mr.  Baer  which  covered  the  entire  history  of  the  cheese 
from  the  time  it  was  received  until  its  final  disposition.  In  this  study 
it  was  possible  to  follow  more  closely  the  course  of  the  ripening. 

RESULTS   OF   EXPERIMENTS. 

In  presenting  the  data  gathered  in  these  experiments  we  have  placed 
all  of  the  detailed  scores  made  by  both  the  expert  judges  and  Mr. 
Baer  in  an  appendix.  The  following  text  is  prepared  from  a  study 
of  these  data,  but  only  summaries  are  given  in  the  text  from  which 
the  deductions  are  made. 

In  outlining  these  results  the  data  on  shrinkage  in  weight  during 
the  experiment  will  first  be  given,  followed  by  the  serial  scores  made 
by  Mr.  Baer  and  the  jury  records  obtained  at  the  tests  made  when 
the  cheese  was  three  and  five  months  old. 


THE    COLD    CURING   OF    CHEESE.  15 

PART  I.— SHRINKAGE  OF  CHEESE  IN  WEIGHT  WHEN  CURED  AT 
DIFFERENT  TEMPERATURES. 

The  losses  in  weight  which  cheese  undergoes  in  the  curing  process 
is  a  matter  of  such  practical  importance  that  it  is  advisable  when  pos- 
sible to  accumulate  data  relating  to  it.  This  is  all  the  more  important 
in  this  connection  because  no  studies  have  yet  been  reported  on  cold- 
cured  cheese,  and  it  was  therefore  deemed  advisable  to  keep  a  record 
of  the  losses  in  weight  so  that  the  shrinkage  at  these  lower  tempera- 
tures might  be  compared  with  those  which  normally  obtain  at  the  best 
temperatures  now  employed.  The  average  shrinkage  under  existing 
curing  conditions  in  the  majority  of  factories  results  in  a  loss  of  5  to  7 
per  cent  for  the  first  thirty  days,  with  a  gradually  diminishing  rate  for 
larger  curing  periods.  This  results  in  a  heavy  tax  to  the  producer, 
and  any  factor  which  reduces  these  losses  increases  thereby  the  total 
receipts  from  the  milk  produced. 

FACTORS   INFLUENCING    THE   RATE   OF   LOSS. 

There  are  a  number  of  factors  which  modify  the  rate  at  which  a 
cheese  loses  its  water  content  during  the  course  of  ripening.  The  fol- 
lowing factors  are  known  to  exert  a  more  or  less  marked  influence, 
although  it  is  impossible  to  arrange  them  in  order  of  their  relative 
importance,  as  they  are  always  interdependent:  (1)  Temperature  of 
curing  room;  (2)  relative  humidity  of  air  in  curing  room;  (3)  size  and 
form  of  cheese;  (4)  moisture  content  of  the  cheese;  (5)  protection  to 
external  surface  of  the  cheese. 

The  influence  of  temperature  is  closely  connected  with  the  relative 
humidity  of  the  curing  room;  but,  in  addition  to  the  effect  which  the 
higher  temperatures  exert  on  this  factor,  it  should  be  observed  that 
water  evaporates  more  rapidly  at  a  high  than  at  a  low  temperature, 
even  though  the  relative  humidity  remains  the  same.  The  more 
potent  influence  of  temperature  is,  however,  the  effect  which  varying 
degrees  of  heat  exert  on  the  relative  humidity  of  the  atmosphere.  A 
fall  of  20°  F.  from  ordinary  air  temperatures  practically  doubles  the 
relative  humidity,  provided  the  point  of  saturation  is  not  passed.  As 
the  average  relative  humidity  of  the  air  is  generally  over  50  per  cent, 
it  therefore  follows,  in  cold-curing  rooms  supplied  with  outside  air,  the 
temperature  of  which  is  from  30°  to  40°  F.  higher  in  summer  than 
the  inside  temperatures,  that  the  air  of  these  rooms  is  practically 
saturated,  thus  greatly  reducing  the  loss  of  moisture  from  the  cheese. 

So  far  as  the  cheese  itself  is  concerned,  the  moisture  of  the  room 
may  be  materially  altered  by  the  way  in  which  the  cheese  is  handled 
during  the  curing  process.  If  the  cheese  is  shelf -cured,  as  is  the  cus- 
tom in  most  factories,  the  surrounding  air  more  nearl\r  approximates 
the  average  relative  humidit}^  of  the  entire  room  than  is  the  case  where 


16 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


the  goods  arc  box-cured.     In  the  latter  ease  the  air  is  more  nearly 
saturated,  as  is  shown  by  the  greater  liability  to  mold  and  rind-rot. 
This  point  is  well  shown  in  a  scries  of  observations  on  the  relative 

humidity  of  the  air  in  a  box  containing  a  cheese  placed  directly  therein 
from  the  press. 

To  show  this  the  following  observations  were  made:  Wet  and  dry 
bulb  thermometers  (Hydrodeik)  were  placed  in  a  Cheddar  box  with  a 
30-pound  flat.  An  opening  was  made  in  the  top  and  covered  with 
glass  so  that  observations  could  be  made  directly  without  opening  the 
box.  The  apparatus  was  placed  for  a  period  in  rooms  at  different  tem- 
peratures and  the  observations  recorded  as  follows: 

Relative  humidity  of  air  surronu.di.taj  box-cured  versus  she/f-cund  r/ieese. 


Temper- 
ature 
range. 

Relative  humidity. 

Boom. 

Cheese 

111  IX. 

°  F. 

35-10 
50-55 
60-69 

I'(  r  a  nt. 
85-92 
55-75 
50-70 

Per  n  nt. 
100 

'.11 

M-'.KJ 

A  factor  which  is  frequently  overlooked  is  the  varying  moisture 
content  of  the  cheese.  The  more  moisture  there  is  left  in  the  cheese 
the  more  rapid  the  evaporation.  The  varying  moisture  content  of  dif- 
ferent types  of  cheese  is  determined  by  the  temperature  at  which  the 
curds  are  cooked,  the  time  of  exposure,  and  the  acidity  of  the  curd. 
A  cheese  in  which  the  acidity  is  developed  is  materially  drier  than  a 
sweet-curd  cheese.     Salt  also  ha1'  lency  to  diminish  the  water 

content.  In  the  foregoing  cases  the  cause  of  this  diminution  in  mois- 
ture is  due  to  the  shrinking  of  the  curd  particles  under  the  influence 
of  these  factors.  An  increase  in  fat  lessens  the  drying  of  the  curd. 
Much  loss  of  moisture  can  also  be  prevented  by  coating  the  cheese 
with  paraffin,  a  practice  which  is  now  Coming  into  very  general  use  for 
the  prevention  of  mold  and  to  lessen  shrinkage  in  weight. 


EXPERIMENTS    IN    SHRINKAGE   OP   C()1>I)-CUKK1)   CHEESE. 

In  these  experiments  the  first  careful  weighings  were  made  when 
the  cheese  was  received  at  the  cold-storage  plant  in  Waterloo.  The 
cheese  was  shipped  from  the»  factories  directly  after  it  was  removed 
from  the  press,  but  was  in  every  case  several  days  upon  the  road.  In 
no  instance  was  the  interval  between  making  and  installing  in  cold- 
curing  rooms  less  than  five  days,  and  it  ranged  from  this  up  to  seven- 
teen days  with  one  lot  from  Michigan,  which  was  delayed  in  transit. 
During  this  period,  which  was  in  early  October,  the  cheese  was  sub- 
jected to  varying  conditions  of  temperature  and  exposure.     In  a  few 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  17 

cases  boxes  were  broken,  and  in  other  instances  the  cheese  was  delayed 
at  points  of  transfer.  It  was  impossible  to  obviate  these  difficulties, 
as  the  cheese  was  purchased  at  distant  points  in  order  to  secure  repre- 
sentation from  a  wide  range  of  territory  and  from  different  types  of 
cheese.  This  variation  in  initial  drying  changed,  of  course,  the  rate 
of  loss  when  cheese  was  placed  in  cold-curing  rooms,  so  that  this  fac- 
tor must  be  taken  into  consideration  in  studying  the  data  presented 
below. 

The  losses  reported  here  cover  those  only  which  took  place  in  the 
cheese  after  it  had  reached  the  cold-curing  rooms,  but  careful  records 
have  been  kept  for  the  entire  curing  period;  and  these  data,  we  believe, 
are  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  full  consideration  in  this 
connection. 

DETAILS   OF    WEIGHING. 

The  cheese  was  all  weighed  on  counter  scales,  weighing  accurately 
to  fractions  of  an  ounce.  In  order  to  check  the  accuracy  of  the 
weights,  each  cheese  was  weighed  separately  and  the  weight  recorded; 
then  the  whole  lot  was  weighed  collectively.  As  these  weights  agreed 
within  a  few  ounces,  they  show  the  accuracy  of  the  weighings.  For 
practical  purposes  it  is  desirable  to  know  the  losses  which  occur  for 
stated  periods.  It  was,  however,  impracticable  for  all  of  the  cheese 
to  be  weighed  at  exactly  the  same  intervals,  as  it  was  put  in  storage  at 
different  dates,  but  it  was  designed  to  secure  at  least  three  weighings 
for  the  first  month  of  storage,  two  weighings  for  the  second,  and  at 
about  monthly  intervals  thereafter.  If  these  data  are  charted,  it  is 
possible  to  deduce  an  estimated  loss  for  any  stated  period,  and  in  doing 
so  we  have  selected  the  fol^»"-:  "  ;ntervals  as  being  those  concerning 
which  data  would  be  most  frequently  desired.  For  this  purpose  ten, 
twenty,  thirty,  sixty,  ninety,  etc.,  days  have  been  selected. 

CONDITIONS    UNDER    WHICH    THE    CHEESE    WAS    STOKED. 

In  this  work  the  attempt  was  made  to  hold  the  cheese  at  40%  50  , 
and  60°  F.  The  actual  temperatures  secured  averaged  36.8C,  4<>.9°, 
and  5S.5°  F.  The  variation  in  temperature  in  the  two  lower  rooms  was 
practically  negligible,  as  it  was  only  2°  to  2£°.  The  temperature  of 
the  60°  room  oscillated  somewhat  more  (4°  F.),  but  was  very  much 
more  uniform  than  ordinary  factory  curing  rooms.  (See  tigs.  1,  2, 
and  3  for  samples  of  the  thermometric  record.) 

Hygrometric  data  were  not  secured  during  the  whole  period,  as  it 
was  at  first  thought  that  a  saturated  atmosphere  would  prevail  where 
the  cheese  was  box  cured,  but  during  the  course  of  the  experiments  it 
was  noted  that  the  50c  cheese  was  not  molding  as  much  as  was  that  at 
40°  and  60°.  This  fact  could  only  be  explained  by  the  assumption 
that  a  less  humid  atmosphere  was  present  in  the  case  of  the  50°  room. 

4189— No.  49—03 2 


18 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Fig.  1.— Temperature  record  of  40°  curing  room. 


Fig.  2.—  Temperature  record  of  50°  curing  room. 


THE    COLT)    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


19 


Observations  at  the  end  of  the  experiment  showed  a  relative  humidity 
in  the  different  curing  rooms  as  follows: 


Tempera- 
ture. 

Relative 
humidity. 

o  p 

Per  cent. 

Room  I . . 

37 

92 

Room  II . 

48 

73 

Room  III 

59 

72 

It  will  be  observed  in  the  figures  later  presented  that  the  differ- 
ence in  rate  of  loss  at  50°  and  60°  was  higher  toward  the  end  of 
the  experiment  than  in  the  earlier  stages.     This  probably  means  that 


Fig.  3.— Temperature  record  of  60°  curing  room. 

the  relative  humidity  of  room  III  was  diminished  at  this  time,  bring- 
ing it  down  from  a  moister  state  to  approximately  the  same  humidity 
as  the  50°  room.  If  this  was  so,  this  would  account  for  the  lessened 
development  of  mold  at  50°,  as  mold  is  very  sensitive  to  hygrometric 
conditions. 

DISCUSSION   OF   RESULTS. 

As  there  are  several  factors  which  affect  the  rate  of  shrinkage 
which  the  cheese  suffers  in  curing,  it  will  be  desirable  to  discuss  the 
data  collected  under  several  heads.     The  conditions  of  the  experiment 


20 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


were  such  as  to  temperature  that  an  especially  favorable  opportunity 
was  had  for  the  study  of  the  Influence  which  this  Factor  exerts  on  the 
cheese.  It  is,  of  cour.se,  necessary  in  a  study  of  this  sort  to  have  the 
cheeses  uniform  in  size.  The  moisture  contents  of  the  cheese  can  not, 
of  course,  be  made  alike,  but  in  this  study  the  cheeses  of  the  same 
type  have  been  grouped  together — that  is.  as  firm  Cheddars  suitable 
for  export  and  softer,  moister  cheese  intended  for  home  trade. 

A.    INFLUENCE   OF   TEMPERATURE    ON    SHRINKAGE. 

To  study  the  rate  of  loss  of  Cheddar  cheese  when  kept  at  different 
temperatures,  12'.'  flats  were  selected  from  nine  different  lots  of  cheese 
made  by  six  different  makers.  These  were  exposed  at  three  different 
temperatures,  which  averaged,  respectively,  36.8°,  46.9  .  and  58.5  F. 
In  each  of  the  tables  herewith  is  given  the  number  of  cheeses  which 
were  subjected  to  stated  weighings.  It  will  be  observed  that  much 
more  data  were  collected  on  the  lower  temperatures  than  on  the  60 
lot.  This  was  regarded  necessary,  as  up  to  this  time  we  have  no  pub- 
lished data  on  cheese  cured  at  so  low  a  temperature.  The  following 
tables  give  the  actual  loss  in  ounces  of  each  lot  of  cheese,  together  with 
the  percentage  loss  for  each  period  observed. 

In  arranging  these  tables  the  lots  of  cheese  that  were  similar  in  type 
are  placed  together.  This  fact  gives  much  more  weight  to  these  fig- 
ures than  to  those  secured  on  the  smaller  lots. 

For  purposes  of  convenience  the  different  lots  of  cheese  are  divided 
into  three  types,  depending  upon  their  character: 

I.  Firm-bodied  cheese  (export  t}Tpe),  of  Wisconsin. 

II.  Sweet-curd  type,  as  represented  by  the  Iowa  and  Illinois  makes. 

III.  A  very  moist,  soft  type,  suitable  for  home  trade  (Michigan). 

Shrinkage  affirm,  typical  Gkeddur  cheese  {type  I)  cured,  at  different  temjiemtureK 
LOT  1—  THos.  JOHNSTON,  BOAZ,  RICHLAND  COUNTY,  Wis. 


Curing  period  (days). 

Loss  in  weight  at  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At  60° F. 

At  69    I 

10 

Oiinrm. 

/'</• cent. 

Ounces. 

/'<  r  r<  nt. 

Ounces. 

17 
28 

Per  cent. 
1.26 

17 

31 

1.  16 

1.86 

21 

17 

0. 866 

26 

;>o 

l.KS 
2.55 
8.  Ir> 

51 

88 

37 
51 
64 
58 

, — 

.  796 
1.09 
1.16 

66 

92 

100 

11 
58 

2.83 
3.73 

112 

::.  76              65 

l.V.                  96 

4.19 

160 

1.18                 123 

6.13 

Weights  of  cheeses  when  received 
Number  of  cheeses  weighed 


299  11-.  6  ozs. 


166  11  >-.  i  ozs. 


97  lbs.  1  oz. 


THE    COLD    CUEING    OF    CHEESE.  21 

Shrinkage  of  firm,  typical  Cheddar  cheese  {type  I),  etc. — Continued. 

LOT  2.— H.  J.  NOYE8,  MUSCODA,  GRANT  COUNTY,  WIS. 


Curing  period  (days). 

Loss  in  weight  at  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At  58°  F. 

At60°F. 

10                                            

Ounces. 

Per  cent. 

Ounces. 

Per  cent. 

Ounces. 
14 
26 

Per  cent. 
0. 912 

16                                          

16 

1.07 

1.69 

19                                

17 

0.374 

24                                           

2.8 
39 
63 
71 
82 

1.87 
2.61 
4.22 
4.75 
5. 49 

50 > 

35 
44 

.50 

.  77 
.994 
.994 
1.12 

41 
49 
56 

78 

2.67 

86 

3.13 

110 

3.65 

158 

5.09 

Weights  of  cheeses  when  received 

279  lbs.  12  ozs. 

93  lbs.  •")  i  )7.s. 

95  lbs.  14  ozs. 

9 

3 

3 

LOT  3.— P.  H.  KASPER,  NICHOLSON,  WAUPACA  COUNTY,  WIS. 


10 

Ounces. 

18 

Per  cent. 
0.383 

Ounces. 

13 
25 

Per  cent.      Ounces. 
0.845  !              11 
1. 62                  22 

Per  cent. 
0.716 

20 

1.43 

26 

34 

.724 

37 

34 

2.21        

41 

|              38 

2.47 

74 

40 

.852 

50 

3. 25     

87 

56 

3.64 

97 

45 

.951 

52 

3.38 

100 

60 

3.90 

145 

68 

78 

4. 42     ;              78 
5. 06    j              84 

163 

» 

1.46 

5.46 

Weights  of  cheeses  when  received 

293  lbs.  8  ozs. 

%  lbs.  2  ozs.                  96  lbs.  1  oz. 

9 

1                                                 8 

As  these  three  makes  of  cheese  agree  quite  closely  in  type,  a  com- 
posite diagram  made  from  the  data  collected  will  indicate  more  nearly 
the  average  results  which  may  be  expected  than  where  they  are  con- 
sidered separately.  The  actual  losses  observed  in  the  three  foregoing 
lots  of  Wisconsin  cheese  were  first  charted  individually  and  from 
these  an  average  curve  constructed,  which  is  represented  in  figure  4. 
In  this  and  following  figures  the  losses  are  shown  for  a  period  of  ninety 
days  only,  so  that  the  figures  would  be  on  the  same  scale. 


22 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL   INDUSTRY. 


%. 


5t 


-jtf 


JO  iO  30  40DAYS5°  6°  7°  *° 

Fig.  4. — Weight  losses— type  I,  cured  at  different  temperatures. 

Shrinkage  of  sweet-curd  cJieese  (type  II)  aired  at  different  temperatures. 

LOT  1.— E.  J.  HODGES,  UNION,  IOWA. 


To 


Curing  period  (days). 

Loss  in  weight  at  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At50°F. 

At60°F. 

7 

Ounces. 
35 

Per  cent. 
0.774 

Ounces. 
23 

Per  cent. 
0.933 

Ounces. 
12 

22 

Per  cent. 
0.852 

17 

1.56 

20 

35 

1.42 

34 

51 

1.13 

32 

2.27 

37 

63 

2.55 

71 

55 

1.21 



61 

4.33 

74 

76 
86 
103 

3.07 
3.47 
4.16 

94 

69 

1.59 

66 

78 

4.68 

145.' 

5.54 

163 

85 

1.88 

Weight  of  cheeses  when  received 

282  lbs.  7  ozs. 

154  lbs.  7  ozs. 

88  lbs.  1  oz. 

9 

5 

1 

THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  23 

Shrinkage  of  sweet-curd  cheese  (type  II)  cured  at  different  temperatures — Continued. 

LOT  2.— J.  B.  GILBKRT  &  CO.,  STERLING,  ILL. 


Curing  period  (clays). 

Loss  in  weight  at  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At  50°  F. 

At  60°  F. 

10...   .                   

Ounces. 
22 

Per  cent. 
0.533 

Ounces. 
26 
42 

Per  rent. 
1.11 
1.80 

Oiuirrs. 
15 
26 

Per  cent. 
1.08 

20 

1.88 

26  .                                       

34 

.821 

37 

58 
83 
92 

2.41 
3.56 
3.94 

40 
56 

2.89 

74 

50 
62 

1.21 
1.50 

4.13 

97 

100 

63 
73 

4.56 

145 



110 

4.71 

5.29 

163 

74 

1.79 

Weight  of  cheeses  when  received 

258  lbs. 

145  lbs.  13  OZS. 

86  lbs.  4  ozs. 

Q 

fi 

<? 

A  composite  curve  of  this  type  of  cheese  was  made  in  a  similar 
manner  to  that  noted  in  type  I  (fig.  4),  and  is  represented  in  figure  5. 

Shrinkage  of  soft,  motet,  home-trade  cheese  {type  III)  cured  at  different  temperatures. 
LOT  1.— A.  H.  BARBER  &  CO.,  MERRILL,  MICH. 


Curing  period  (days). 

Loss  in  weight  at  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At  50°  F. 

At  60°  F. 

10 

20 

Ounces. 
6 

Per  cent. 
0.30 

Ounces. 
6 
10 

Per  cent. 
1.15 
1.92 

Ounces. 
5 
7 

Per  cent. 
1.05 
1  47 

26 

10 

..50 

37 

12 

2.30 

41 

10 
15 
19 

28 

2  10 

74 

100 

145 

14 
20 

.70 
1.00 

16 
18 
21 

3.07 
3.46 
4.38 

3.15 
3.99 
5  88 

Weight  of  cheeses  when  received 

125  lbs.  6  ozs. 

32  lbs.  8  ozs. 

29  lbs.  12  ozs. 

4 

1 

24  BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

Shrinkage  of  soft,  moist,  home-trade  cheese  {type  I  If),  etc — Continued. 

LOT  'J.— A.  II.  HAKHKK  .v.  CO.,  MERRILL,  MICH. 


Caring  period  (days), 

Loss  in  weight al  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At  50°  P. 

At60°F. 

4 

Ounces. 

2 

I'rr  CI  III. 

0.10 

Ounces. 

Per  cent. 

Ounces. 

l'i  r  ci  nl. 

10 

8 

0.837 
1.67 

4 

7 

0.840 

20 

1  47 

26 

13 

37 

11 

2.30 

41 



10 
16 
20 
30 

2  10 

74 

17 

28 

.85 
1.40 

14 
18 
21 

2.92 
3.70 
4.38 

3  36 

100 

4.20 

145 

6  30 

Weight  of  cheeses  when  received 

121  lbs.  11  ozs. 

29  lbs.  14  ozs. 

29  lbs.  12  ozs. 

4 

1 

1 

LOT  3.— A.  H.  BARBER  &  CO.,  MERRILL,  MICH. 


10 '. 

Ounces. 
42 

Per  cent. 
0.538 

Ounces. 
32 
76 
102 
124 
133 

Per  cent. 
0.88 
2.08 
2.79 
3.39 
3.67 

Ounces. 
17 
28 
44 
68 
73 

Per  cent. 
0  814 

20 

1  34 

37 

73            .935 
82           1.05 
95           1.21 

1 

2  10 

74 

3  25 

100 

3  49 

Weight  of  cheeses  when  received 

487  lbs.  14  ozs. 

228  lbs. 

13  lbs.  7  ozs. 

15 

d 

LOT  4.— A.  H.  BARBER  &  CO.,  MERRILL,  MICH. 


7 

Ounces. 
23 

Per  cent. 
0.676 

Ounces. 
9 

Per  cent. 
0.928 

OllllCl*. 

0 
11 

Per  cent. 
1.24 
2  28 

17 

20 ■. 

17 
23 
28 
38 

1.75 
2.37 
2. 88 
3.92 

34 

39 
47 
55 

1.14 
1.37 
1.02 

18 
29 
82 

39 

3.73 
6.02 
6.64 

71 

97 

145 

Weight  of  cheeses  when  received 

219  lbs 

7  ozs. 

60 lbs.  Does. 

30  lbs.  11  ozs. 

Number  of  cheeses  weighed 

». 

? 

i 

In  the  four  preceding  lots  of  cheese  considerable  difference  in  rate 
of  loss  will  be  noticed.  This  is  explained,  when  it  is  considered  that 
these  lots  were  exposed  during  transit  period  to  higher  temperatures 


THE    COLD    CURING   OF    CHEESE. 


25 


for.  varying  periods  of  time,  as  follows:  Lot  1,  seventeen  days;  lot  2, 
fourteen;  lot  3,  twelve;  and  lot  4,  seven  days. 

Figure  6  shows  a  composite  curve  of  the  Michigan  cheese,  which  was 
made  in  a  similar  manner  to  those  shown  in  figures  4  and  5. 

GENERAL   SUMMARY    OF   LOSSES   AT   DIFFERENT   TEMPERATURES. 

In  figures  4,  5,  and  6  the  average  curves  showing  losses  of  the  dif- 
ferent types  of  Cheddar  cheese  are  shown.     Frequently  the  cheese 


75        £5        Jo       ?o        To        56        70       so 
DAY5 

Fig.  5.— Weight  losses— type  II,  cured  at  different  temperatures. 


maker  wishes  to  know  what  these  losses  would  be  for  stated  intervals 
at  different  temperatures.  With  the  data  at  our  command  it  is 
impossible  to  answer  definitely  this  question,  because  of  the  varying 
conditions  which  surrounded  the  cheese  during  the  transit  period,  but 
in  the  table  below  the  losses  which  occurred  after  the  cheeses  were 
installed  in  the  respective  curing  rooms  are  presented  for  considera- 
tion.    In  this  table  the  average  losses  for  ten  days  or  multiples  thereof 


26 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


are  given.  In  constructing  this  table  the  data  for  each  lot  of  cheese 
were  first  charted.  From  the  curves  bo  obtained  the  losses  of  each 
lot  for  the  periods  of  ten,  twenty,  thirty,  sixty,  and  ninety  days  were 


4 

f 

,  *  _^ 

a 

s^.*' 

-^  s 

.''■ 

2 

S 

-'' 

^ 

1 

i 



-  — 

—  —  " 

0 

1 

3            Z 

0           3 

0 

6 

3 

90 

DAYS 

FIG.  6.— Weight  losses— type  III.     Michigan  cheese 

taken  from  the  above  charts  by  observation.     An  average  of  these 
losses  for  each  type  of  cheese  is  given  in  the  following  table: 

Jjosses  at  different  periods  in  cheese  cured  at  different  temperatures. 


Type  I  (typical  Cheddar). 

Type  II  (swcet-clll'd). 

Type  III  (soft). 

Dotya 

27  cheeses 

tested  at 

40°. 

]  i  cheeses 

tested  at 

50°. 

9  cheeses 

tested  at 

60°. 

^9  cheeses 

tested  at 
40°. 

5  cheeses 

tested  at 

50°. 

5  cheeses 
tested  at 

60°. 

30  cheeses 

tested  at 
40°. 

1 1  cheeses 

tested  at 
50°. 

7  cheeses 

tested  at 

60°. 

10 

Per  cent. 

0.38 
.44 
.58 
.83 

1.00 

I'i  r  n  nl. 
0.92 
1.48 
2.00 
2.87 
3.64 

I'i  f  n  nt. 

0.% 

1.74 
2. 05 
2.95 
3.57 

I'i  r  '•'/;/. 

0.69 

.82 

.96 

LIB 

1.42 

Per  '■<  nl. 
1.02 
1.60 
2.10 
■1. 97 
3.60 

Per  cent, 

toe 

1.77 
2. 29 

3.67 
4.47 

I'i  r  ii  nl. 

0.49 
.ill 
.84 
.  98 

1.21 

i;  r  cent 
0.92 
1.89 
2.35 
2.98 
3.55 

I'ir  mil. 
0.85 

20 

1.89 

30 

1.75 

60 

2.77 

90 

4.02 

As  the  number  of  cheeses  of  the  different  types  cured  at  the  various 
temperatures  were  not  the  same,  the  percentage  losses  given  in  the 
above  table  for  the  varying  periods  noted  are  therefore  not  entitled  to 
equal  weight.     The  smallest  number  of  cheeses  were  those  exposed  at 


TH"E    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  27 

60°,  while  nearly  60  per  cent  of  the  entire  lot  were  kept  at  40°.    This 
gives  much  greater  weight  to  the  figures  presented  in  the  40°  series. 

In  the  table  it  will  be  observed  that  there  are  some  apparent  dis- 
crepancies, especially  in  the  case  of  the  50°  and  60°  lots  of  type  III. 
These  discrepancies  are  undoubtedly  explained  by  the  fact  that  this 
type  of  cheese,  which  was  the  moistest  of  the  whole  lot  in  the  begin- 
ning, lost  more  during  the  longer  transit  period,  and  hence  the  evapo- 
ration was  less  than  in  other  types  after  being  placed  in  cold  storage. 

(1)  The  losses  sustained  bjT  the  different  lots  were  very  much  less  at 
40°  F.  than  at  either  of  the  other  two  temperatures.  For  a  ninety- 
day  period  the  losses  of  the  40°  cheese  ranged  from  1  to  1.4  per  cent, 
while  the  50°  and  60°  product  shrunk  from  3.4  to  4.5  per  cent  for  the 
same  time.  In  other  words,  by  the  use  of  the  lower  temperature  for 
curing  practically  two-thirds  of  the  losses  which  occurred  at  the  tem- 
peratures of  50°  and  60°  were  prevented.  If  these  results  are  com- 
pared with  what  happens  under  ordinary  factory  conditions,  the  loss 
at  these  low  temperatures  for  a  period  of  ninety  days  (the  minimum 
curing  period  recommended)  will  not  be  more  than  one-fourth  of  that 
which  obtains  under  average  factory  conditions  when  the  cheeses  are 
held  for  a  period  of  about  twenty  days.  The  saving  for  any  such  fac- 
torjr  making  500  pounds  of  cheese  daily  would  amount  to  at  least  15 
pounds  of  cheese  (or  $1.50)  per  day  as  an  average  for  the  season,  and 
considerably  more  than  this  for  cheese  made  during  hot  weather. 
This  saving  in  itself  would  go  far  toward  meeting  .the  extra  expense 
of  lower  temperature  curing,  even  if  the  product  was  no  better  than 
that  cured  at  higher  temperatures. 

(2)  The  differences  between  the  cheese  cured  at  50°  and  60°  are  not 
so  marked  as  between  50°  and  40°.  It  is  quite  probable,  as  before 
mentioned,  that  the  50°  room  was  somewhat  drier  than  the  60°  (as 
shown  by  the  lessened  mold  growth),  and  hence  the  rate  of  loss  was 
abnormally  increased  in  this  room.  This  would  tend  to  bring  the  two 
curves  nearer  together. 

(3)  If  the  firm  Wisconsin  type  is  compared  with  the  softer  variety, 
as  shown  in  types  II  and  III,  it  appears  that  the  losses  are  consider- 
ably less,  especially  at  the  higher  temperatures,  although  this  differ- 
ence is  not  so  observable  at  40°. 

(4)  The  above  data  presented  show  a  marked  saving  in  losses  where 
the  cheese  was  cold  cured,  but  in  these  experiments  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  cheese  was  subjected  to  higher  temperatures  during 
transit,  and  hence  dried  out  somewhat  more  than  would  have  occurred 
if  put  in  storage  as  soon  as  removed  from  the  press;  also,  that  this 
cheese  was  box-cured,  and  therefore  under  conditions  which  prevented 
rapid  evaporation.  Under  other  conditions  the  losses  would  have 
been  greater  than  represented  here,  and  the  difference  in  the  rate  of 
loss  between  the  different  lots  wider  than  reported  above.  This  would 
still  further  increase  the  saving. 


28 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


B.    INFLUENCE    OF   SIZE    AND   FORM    OF   CHEESE    ON    SHUINKAOK. 

In  order  to  study  the  influence  of  size  of  package  <>n  shrinkage 
during-  curing-,  lots  of  two  different  sizes  were  purchased  from  the 
same  source.  These  two  sizes  were  the  customary  daisy  type,  13 
inches  in  diameter  and  3£  inches  high,  weighing-  about  2<>  pounds 
apiece,  and  the  newer  type  of  print  cheese,  put  up  in  10-pound  blocks 
(10  by  10  by  2f  inches).  These  cheeses  were  of  th<>  usual  Wisconsin 
Cheddar  type,  although  a  little  tinner  than  the  Wisconsin  flats  used 
in  these  experiments.  On  account  of  this  difference  in  type,  it  is 
impossible  to  compare  these  cheeses  directly  with  the  larger  30-pound 
size. 

In  the  following  tables  are  presented  the  actual  and  percentage 
losses  which  were  noted  in  the  two  lots  of  cheese  (daisies  and  prints) 
which  were  purchased  from  the  La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Company, 
of  La  Crosse,  Wis.: 

Shrinkage  of  different-sized  cheeses  cured  at  different  temperatures. 


LOT  1— PRINTS  (10  POUNDS). 


Curing  period  (flays). 

Loss  in  weight  at  different  periods  of  storage. 

At  40°  F. 

At50°F. 

At  60°  F. 

7 

Ounces. 

Percent. 

Ounces. 
1 

Per  cent. 
0.62 

Ounces. 

2 

1.23 

10 

3 

0.371 

16 

3 

1.82 

24 

4 

8 
14 
16 
18 

2.46 

41 

7 
11 
14 
21 

.865 
1.35 
1.73 
2.61 

5 
9 
10 
12 

3.1 
5.59 
6.2 
7. 46 

4.92 

78 

8.64 

100 

9.88 

167 

11.11 

Weights  of  chooses  when  received 

50  Ids.  8  oz.«. 

10  lbs.  1  oz. 

10  lbs.  2  n/s. 

6 

1 

1 

LOT  2.— DAISIKS  (20  POUNDS). 


7 

Ounces. 

Per  n  nt. 

Ounces. 

35 

71 

/'( /•  ri  nl. 

0.673 
1.38 

Ounces. 

25 

Per  cent. 
1.14 

16 

38 

0.527 

24 

41 

1.% 

30 

66 

.916 

41 

103 
128 
134 
148 

1.98 
2.46 
2.58 
2.85 

65 
89 
97 
118 

3.11 

78 

90 
101 
136 

1.25 
1.40 
1.89 

4.26 

100 

4.64 

149 

5.65 

Weights  of  cheeses  when  received 

449  lbs.  15  OZ8. 

325  lbs.  8  ozs. 

130  lbs 

.  9  ozs. 

24 

17 

J 

THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


29 


In  figures  7  and  8  are  represented,  graphically,  the  losses  observed  in 
the  smaller  sizes  of  cheeses  (10  and  20  pound  varieties).  It  will  be  noted 
that  these  losses  at  the  different  temperatures  are  greater  as  the  tem- 
perature increases,  and  that  the  differences  between  the  various  tem- 
peratures are  more  marked  as  the  relative  size  of  the  cheese  diminishes. 


1 

&_ 

/ 

60* 

9i 

6 

/ 

/ 

1 

/ 

/ 

6 

1 

/ 

/ 

4 

/ 
/ 

i 

/ 

a 

i 

i 
i 
i 

/ 

2 

4tf 

-"" 

i 

^  ■ 

^- 

-~  "~ 

^ 

a 

it 

3          Z 

0        a 

0 

riAvc 

6 

0 

70 

Fig.  7. — Weight  losses.    10-pound  prints. 


In  order  that  a  comparison  may  be  made  between  different  sizes  of 
cheeses  at  the  same  temperatures,  and  the  losses  at  these  respective 
temperatures  compared  with  each  other,  the  foregoing  data  are  rear- 
ranged in  figures  9,  10,  and  11,  so  as  to  show  the  rate  of  losses  of  the 
different  sizes  of  cheeses  at  the  different  temperatures. 


30 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


From  these  curves  it  is  evident  that  at  4o  (tig.  '.»)  the  loss  was  prac- 
tically  the  same  in  both  sizes  of  the  cheeses.  This  is  probably  because 
the  relative  humidity  at  this  temperature  was  practically  loo  per  cent, 
and  therefore  in  a  saturated  atmosphere  the  rate  of  evaporation  would 
be  reduced  to  a  minimum,  regardless  of  the  size  of  the  cheese. 


<* 

9 

,'' 

b?y 

4 

• 

'-' 

/' 

3 

,' 

/ 

' 

^30° 

2 

/ 

/ 

'*'      / 



—    — 

—   — 

40! 

1 

/-" 

U 

l< 

D            2 

0           3 

0 

6 

0 

90 

DAYS 

PK».  8, — Weight  losses.     'iO-pound  "Daisies." 


DAY5. 

Fiii.  it.— Weight  losses.    Small  elieeses.    Cured  at  40°  F. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  entire  loss  in  weight  during  the 
curing  of  cheese  is  not  due  to  evaporation.     A  cheese  in  curing  is 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


31 


constantly  breathing  out  carbon  dioxide  the  same  as  any  living  organ- 
ism, due  to  the  development  of  microorganisms  (bacterial  growth 
within  the  cheese  as  well  as  molds  on  surface).  Aside  from  these  bio- 
logical factors,  it  has  recently  been  shown  by  Van  Slyke  and  Hartrt 
that  profound  proteolytic  decompositions  also  give  rise  to  an  appre- 
ciable amount  of  0O2.  AVith  cheese  at  60°  F.,  in  which  external 
mold  growth  was  suppressed,  they  found  a  loss  of  approximately  one- 


' — 1 

/ 

/ 

5 

4 

/ 

/ 

3 

__lfiJ=* 

qm5^ 

2 

1 

/ 

ol J 

0        z 

0          5 

3          * 

0 

6 

D 

90 

DAYS 

Fig.  10. — Weight  losses.    Small  cheeses.    Cured  at  50°  F. 

fourth  of  1  per  cent  in  ninety  days.  In  our  cold-cured  cheese,  copious 
mold  development  occurred,  and  hence  the  losses  of  carbon  from  the 
cheese  due  to  this  growth  would  be  considerably  greater  than  if  no 
such  growth  occurred.  With  the  nearly  uniform  rate  of  shrinkage 
shown  in  these  cold-cured  cheeses,  regardless  of  size,  it  is  quite  prob- 
lematical whether  this  loss  in  weight  ma}*  not  be  chiefly  due  to  the 
operation  of  the  foregoing  factors.     If  this  is  so,  we  may  consider 


«  Bui.  No.  231,  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  p.  36. 


32 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


% 

9 

/ 

• 

f 

8 

/ 

/ 

7 

6 

5 

*£^ 

^^ 

A 

3 

/ 

1  / 

2 

// 

/ 

/ 

l 

0 

1 

>           z 

\       i 

0 

i 

0 

90 

DAYS 

Fig.  11.— Weight  losses.    Small  cheeks.    Cured  at  ($0°  F. 


Note. — Figures  9,  10,  and  11  should  be  compared  as  Bhowtng  the  relative  loss  of  cheese*  of  different 
sizes. 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


33 


such  losses  as  absolutely  unavoidable  under  normal  conditions,  for  the 
action  of  microorganisms  which  can  not  be  suppressed  will  inevitably 
result  in  the  production  of  some  volatile  products. 

At  the  temperatures  of  50°  and  60°,  where  the  relative  humidity 
was  below  saturation,  the  factor  of  evaporation  is  apparent  and  is 
inversely  related  to  the  size  of  the  cheese.  From  a  practical  point  of 
view,  it  is  worth  noting  that  the  losses  in  both  sizes  of  cheeses  cured 
at  60°  are  approximately  50  per  cent  more  than  they  are  in  the  cheese 
ripened  at  50°  F.     (See  Figs.  10  and  11.) 


C.    INFLUENCE  OF  PARAFFINING  CHEESE  ON  SHRINKAGE  DURING  CURING. 

Within  the  last  few  years  the  custom  of  coating  the  cheese  with  an 
impervious  layer  has  been  suggested,  with  the  object  mainly  of  pre- 
venting the  development  of  mold.  For  this  purpose  paraffin  has 
been  found  to  be  the  most  suitable  agent.  The  application  of  such  a 
layer  to  the  cheese  not  only  prevents  the  growth  of  mold  spores  by 
excluding  the  air,  but  materially  retards  the  rate  at  which  the  cheese 
loses  its  moisture.  Paraffined  cheese  then  dries  out  much  more  slowly 
than  the  untreated  product,  and  the  application  of  this  method  is  of 
particular  service  in  the  handling  of  the  smaller  types  of  cheeses,  which 
have  a  relatively  larger  superficial  area  exposed  to  the  air. 

To  study  the  effect  of  this  method  of  treatment  at  different  temper- 
atures, a  number  of  the  smaller  sizes  of  cheeses  (daisies  and  10-pound 
prints)  were  taken  from  the  same  make  and  part  of  them  covered  with 
paraffin.  These  were  divided  into  three  lots  and  placed  in  the  different 
curing  rooms,  where  they  were  held  for  a  period  of  several  months. 

In  the  following  table  are  recorded  the  data  as  to  the  percentage 
loss  in  both  the  paraffined  and  unparaffined  (control)  lots: 

Shrinkage  in  paraffined  and  unparaffined  cheese  cured  at  different  temperatures. 
10-POUND  PRINT  CHEESE. 


Loss  in  weight  for  different  periods  of  storage. 

Curing  period  (days). 

At40°F. 

At  50°  F. 

At60°F. 

Unparaf- 
fined. 

Paraffined. 

Unparaf- 
fined. 

Paraffined. 

UfiTdaf-|Parafflned- 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

0.62 

Per  cent. 
0.24 

Per  cent. 
1.23 

Per  cent. 
0.603 

10 

0.37 

0.495 

16 

1.82 

.84 

24 

.    2.46 
4.92 
8.64 
9.88 

41 

.865             1.06 
1.35               1.48 
1.73               1.88 

3.1 
5.6 
6.2 

1.45 

2.9 

3.5 

2.77 
3.01 
3.62 

77 

100 

Number  of  cheeses  tested 

5  |                17 

1 

5 

1 

5 

4189— No.  49—03- 


84  BUREAU  OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY. 

Shrinkage  in  paraffined  and  unparaffined  cheese  cured  <ii  different  temperatures—  Cont'd. 

20-POUND  DAISIES. 


Loss  in  welgbl  for  different  periods  of  storage. 

Caring  period  (days). 

At  40°  F. 

At  50°  P. 

At  60°  P. 

t'lipuriif- 
ftned. 

Paraffined. 

Unparaf- 
fined. 

Paraffined. 

Unparaf- 
flned. 

Paraffined. 

i'i  t  cent. 

I'll-  nut. 

Per  a  nt. 
0.673 

I'i  r  i'i  nt. 

I'i  r  CI  lit . 
1.11 

I'i  f  ri  lit. 

0. 317 

ll 

0.527 

0.466 

10 

1.38 

0.609 

21 

1.96 

1.58 

30 

.916 

1.10 

11 

1.98 
2.46 

2.58 

.914 
.      1.65 
2.0 

3.11 
4.26 

4.C>4 

2.  G 1 

1.25 
1.40 

1.71 

3.17 

100 

:;.  19 

Number  of  cheeses  toted 

24 

1 

17 

1 

7 

1 

o 

601 

< 

4 

s 

X 
X 

X 

6$ 

ft&p* 

i 

/ 
/ 

-" 

/ 

/ 

/ 

^S$ 

Z 

/ 
/ 

/          ^ 

4Q° 

.RAR££ 

/ 

/  / 

7 

,,--' 

m~-rr 

--~'~ 

_4d 

1 

/ 

f  / 

•  ^ " 

/ 

0 

0             2 

0             3 

0 

6 

0 

90 

DAYS 

Via.  12.— Weight  losses.     20-pound  Daisies.     Paraffined. 


THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


35 


In  order  to  permit  a  more  ready  comparison  of  the  above  data,  the 
same  are  presented  in  graphical  form  in  figures  12  and  13.  At  60c  F. 
the  application  of  paraffin  resulted  in  reducing  the  losses  to  less  than 
one-half  of  that  which  occurred  in  the  unparaffined  lot.  This  difference 
is  naturally  more  observable  in  the  smaller-sized  cheeses  (prints).     At 

%- 


DAYS 

Fig.  13.— Weight  losses.    10-pound  prints.    Paraffined. 

50°  this  ratio  was  slightly  diminished,  but  was  in  the  same  general 
direction.  At  40°  a  peculiarity  is  observable  in  both  the  print  and  the 
daisy  size,  in  that  the  paraffined  cheese  lost  a  trifle  more  than  the 
unparaffined  lot.  We  do  not  think  this  apparent  paradox  can  be 
explained  on  the  basis  of   errors   in  weighing,  as   there   were  five 


36  BUREAU    (>F    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

1 1 n paraffined  and  seventeen  paraffined  print  cheeses  and  twenty-fear 
unparaffined  and  four  paraffined  20-pound  cheeses  in  these  experi- 
ments. Also  the  weighings  of  these  cheeses  were  made  at  frequent 
intervals  and  in  every  case  the  same  relation  was  observed.  Further 
experiments  are  in  progress  to  test  the  accuracy  of  these  observations. 
In  the  paraffined  cheese  at  40°  the  losses  were  reduced  practically  to 
a  minimum,  as  was  also  the  case  with  the  unparaffined  at  this  tempera- 
tare,  As  evaporation  would  certainly  be  lessened  in  the  paraffined 
lot,  the  uniformity  of  loss  between  these  and  the  unparaffined  still 
further  substantiates  the  view  advanced  earlier  that  these  losses  are 
not  so  much  due  to  shrinkage  from  evaporation  as  thc\T  are  to  meta- 
bolic activities  of  organisms  and  possibly  chemical  transformations 
within  the  cheese. 


PART  II.— EFFECT   OF   TEMPERATURE    ON  QUALITY   OF   CHEESE. 
A.    COURSE    OF    CUBING    AT    DIFFERENT    TEMPERATURES. 

Originally  it  was  planned  to  have  the  cheese  judged  by  commercial 
experts,  but  it  was  found  impossible  to  arrange  for  a  sufficiently  large 
number  of  such  tests  to  closely  follow  the  progressive  changes  which 
occurred  in  the  course  of  the  ripening  of  the  cheese.  Hence,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  examinations  made  by  the  jury  of  commercial  experts,  the 
cheese  was  carefully  scored  at  Waterloo  by  Mr.  Baer  at  frequent 
intervals.  The  full  details  of  these  examinations,  which  include 
numerical  and  descriptive  scores,  as  well  as  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
cheese  at  the  different  periods  when  it  was  examined,  are  presented  in 
the  appendix  (p.  57.) 

Cour.sk  ok  Ripening  in  Tykk  I. 

This  type  was  represented  by  four  different  lots  of  Wisconsin  cheese. 
All  of  them  were  well-cooked,  firm-bodied,  slow-ripening  cheese1  that 
may  be  regarded  as  typical  Cheddars.  In  one  case  the  milk  from 
which  the  cheese  was  made  was  evidently  tainted,  as  the  cheese  was 
slightly  off  at  the  outset. 

The  results  of  these  periodical  scores  by  Mr.  Baer  show  that  good 
cheese  was  produced  at  all  temperatures  in  the  first  three  lots.  Natu- 
rally that  cured  at  60°  developed  more  rapidly  than  the  goods  cured 
at  lower  temperatures,  but  it  should  be  noticed  that  even  at  this  tem- 
perature some  of  the  firm-textured  cheese  went  off  in  live  months. 
At  50°  and  40°  the  cheese  was  about  six  weeks  to  two  months  behind 
the  60°  in  development,  but  in  time  it  reached  as  high  as  the  60°  lot, 
and  generally  of  a  better  quality,  and  kept  this  maximum  condition 
much  longer  than  the  60°.  This  enhanced  keeping  quality  was  more 
pronounced  at  40°  than  at  50°. 


THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


37 


In  the  lot  made  from  tainted  milk  (La  Crosse,  p.  58)  the  imperfect 
condition  was  pronounced  at  all  temperatures,  but  was  more  promi- 
nent at  60°  than  below. 

In  studying  the  detailed  scores  by  Mr.  Baer,  presented  in  the  appen- 
dix, it  is  possible  to  combine  the  numerical  scores  of  the  four  different 
lots  of  Wisconsin  cheese  belonging  to  the  same  type  and  so  obtain 
a  set  of  averages,  as  to  flavor,  texture,  and  price,  which  indicate  clearly 
the  progress  of  the  curing  of  these  various  lots  at  the  different  tem- 
peratures.    In  the  following  table  these  summaries  are  included: 

Summary  of  scores  and  values  of  cheese  in  type  I  ( firm  export  type) . 


Age  (months). 

Flavor  (standard  45). 

Texture  (standard  30). 

Price  (standard 
13  cents). 

40°. 

50°. 

60°. 

40°. 

50°. 

60°. 

40°. 

60°. 

60°. 

1 

33.3 

37 

41.5 

43 

43.8 

34.3 
38.3 
42.3 
41 

35.8 

23.3 

22.3 
25.3 
28.5 
29 

24.3 
26.8 
29 
27.5 

2 

39            2fi 

10 

11.81 
12.69 
12.75 

10.5 
12.4 
12 

10.8 

3 

42.3 
39.5 

28.6 
29.3 
29 

12.4 

5 

8 

11.44 

1"" 

Flavo7\ — The  variation  in  flavor  observed  at  the  different  tempera- 
tures is  more  marked  than  any  other  characteristic.  This  range  in 
flavor  is  also  shown  graphically  in  figure  14.     From  this  it  appeal's 

POINTS 


MONTHS 

Fig.  14.— Flavor  for  type  I. 


that  at  the  higher  temperatures  the  flavor  is  more  developed  during  the 
earlier  ripening  stages,  but  as  the  cheese  increases  in  age  the  quality 


88 


HUHKAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


of  the  flavor  at  the  higher  temperatures  deteriorates  more  rapidly  than 

in  the  cold-cured  goods.  At  the  end  of  live  months  the  40  was  still 
improving;,  and  even  at  this  time  was  higher  than  at  any  period  with 
the  50°  and  60°.  Ac  present  writing  (eight  months),  the  cold-cured 
cheese  is  still  of  excellent  quality,  and  shows  no  signs  of  deterioration. 
Texture. — The  texture  of  the  cheese  followed  quite  closely  a  devel- 
opment similar  to  that  noted  under  "Flavor."  In  the  earlier  stages 
the  60°  had  the  highest  score,  but  it  reached  its  maximum  in  three 
months,  while  the  50°  and  40°  continued  to  improve  up  to  the  end  of 
the  test,  and  was  higher  in  the  40°  at  this  time  than  at  any  time  in  the 
60°.     This  condition  is  shown  in  figure  15. 

POINTS 


30 

/A. 

/  // 



— 

M 

50° 

28 

/ 

/  // 

''/ 

/  / 

•s. 

60° 

/    / 
*    / 

24 

/   / 
/  / 

20 

< 

D 

i 

> 

5      *,,«.. 

)            < 

5         ? 

► 

8 

MONTHS 

Kl<;.  15.— Texture  for  (yi>e  T. 


Plaice. — Figure  16  presents  the  range  in  intrinsic  value  throughout 
the  test.  The  improved  condition  with  reference  to  flavor  and  texture 
naturally  reappears  in  this  commercial  standard,  in  which  the  40° 
cheese,  while  developing  somewhat  more  slowly,  soon  passes  both  the 
50°  and  60°,  and  continues  to  improve  while  the  two  latter  decline 
toward  the  end  of  the  experiment. 

The  beneficial  effect  of  cold-curing  on  this  firm  type  of  cheese  is 
strikingly  apparent  from  the  above  data  and  diagrams.  Not  only  was 
this  cold-cured  cheese  free  from  any  bitterness  or  taint  incident  to  the 
curing  process,  but  it  was  much  improved  in  texture,  as  is  evident 
from  Plate  I,  which  shows  the  appearance  of  cheese  made  from  the 
same  vat  but  cured  at  approximately  40°,  50°,  and  60°  F.  When  the 
cheese  is  cold  cured  the  body  is  much  closer,  as  the  curd  particles  are 
subject  to  more  pronounced  shrinkage  at  higher  temperatures,  which 
causes  the  formation  of  these  irregular,  ragged  cracks.     This  is  per- 


Bulletin  No.  49,  B.  A.  I. 


Plate  I. 


Three  Cheese  Sections— Type  I. 

Cheese  at  top  eured  at  10°,  in  middle  at  50°,  and  at  bottom  at  00° 


Bulletin  No.  49,  B.  A.  I. 


Plate 


/       t 


' 


Am  \    / 


./• 


/ 


K  ^ 


.  r 


\  ' 


Two  Vertical  Cheese  Sections— Type  I. 

Cheese  cured  at  -10°  on  left  and  cheese  cured  at  00°  on  right. 


,( 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


39 


haps  rendered  more  obvious  in  Plates  II  and  III,  in  which  the  cheese 
cured  at  40°  and  60°  are  shown.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the 
results  ordinarily  obtained  in  factory  curing  are  not  anything,  like  as 
satisfactorj7  as  those  shown  in  the  cheese  cured  at  60",  the  improve- 
ment in  quality,  as  shown  by  the  texture  of  the  cheese  cured  by  the 
cold-curing'  process  over  that  now  in  vogue,  is  emphasized  still  more. 

CENTS. 


13 

/ 



— 

_4o! 

N^"-'-*^^ 

/ 

tl 

-X 

\$0° 

12 

1 1 

ill 

/ 

N\60° 

/// 

ill 

II 

'  1 
1 

1 

10 

9 

( 

\ 

I 

\ 

J 

3               < 

3                  / 

r 

8 

MONTHS 

Fig.  16. — Price  for  type  I. 

The  50°  cheese  stands  intermediate  between  the  distinctively  cold- 
cured  product  and  that  obtained  under  best  present  conditions  without 
artificial  refrigeration.  Emphasis  has  already  been  laid  upon  the  fact 
that  a  considerable  improvement  in  quality  is  to  be  expected  where  a 
slight  diminution  in  temperature  is  secured  over  that  found  in  the 
best  type  )f  factory  curing  now  in  vogue.  This  system  of  '"'cool- 
curing'1 —  that  is,  the  use  of  a  temperature  from  52°  to  58c  F.,  as 
recently  advocated  by  the  Canadian  authorities" — stands  midwa}7 
between  the  cold-curing  process  and  the  system  now  most  frequently 
in  use.  The  benefits  to  be  gained  by  this  system  are  evident  from  the 
Canadian  experiments,  iy  which  480  pairs  of  cheeses  were  cured,  one 


a  J.  A.  Ruddick  in  paper  presented  at  the  Ontario  Dairymen's  Association,  Janu- 
ary, 1903. 


40 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


of  each  lot  being  kept  at  52°  to  58°,  while  the  other  was  ripened  in  an 
ordinary  curing  room  ((51°  to  ?0C).     Quoting  Mr.  Ruddick's  paper,  he 


P0INT5 

4^r 


4-0 


36 


v50 


/     1 
/    / 

//l 

"s. 

t 

t 
/ 

/ 

'71 
'  1 

5^ 

f 

/ 
/ 
/ 
/ 

/ 
/ 

MONTHS 

Fig.  17.— Flavor  for  type  II. 


says  that  "in  every  case  the  cool  cured  (cheese)  nas  l>een  pronounced 
the  best  in  quality." 


e  3 

MONTHS. 

Fig.  18.— Texture  for  typcll. 


From  the  experiments    detailed    above   it   appears    that    further 
improvement  in  quality  is  possible  if  the  curing  temperature  is  still 


THE    COLD    CUEING    OF    CHEESE. 


41 


further  reduced  (40°  to  50°  F.).  It  must  be  remembered  in  this  com- 
parison that  the  highest  temperature  we  employed  is  much  lower  than 
the  average  factory  curing  room.  The  difference  in  quality  between 
cold-cured  and  ordinary-cured  cheese  would  be  much  greater  than 
that  represented  in  this  work. 

The  cheese  of  this  type  at  60°  ripened  rapidly  and  showed  an  excel- 
lent quality  in  all  lots  but  one,  which  was  tainted  from  the  beginning, 
but  they  all  passed  their  prime  in  three  months  and  showed  marked 
deterioration  by  the  end  of  five  months. 

With  this  type  of  cheese  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  quality  of 
the  flavor  produced  at  low  temperatures  is  quite  different  from  that 
found  at  60°.  Cold-cured  cheese  possesses  a  very  mild  but  perfectly 
clean  flavor,  together  with  a  solid  waxy  texture. 

Course  of  Ripening  in  Type  II. 


The  cheese  in  this  type  is  not  so  uniform  in  its  make-up  as  that  of 
type  I,  but  it  represents  that  type  of  American  product  in  which  less 
acid  is  developed  than  is  found  in  the  normal  Cheddar  cheese.  This 
cheese  is  more  open  in  texture  and  contains  a  considerable  number  of 
mechanical  and  small  Swiss  holes  as  shown  in  Plate  III.  The  cheese 
was  somewhat  low  in  flavor,  due  in  all  probability  to  the  milk  and 
method  of  manufacture,  and  not  to  the  curing,  as  this  defect  was  quite 
as  apparent  at  the  lower  temperatures  as  at  60°. 

The  Iowa  cheese  was  found  to  be  of  only  fair  quality,  but  at  all 
ages  was  better  at  40°  than  at  other  temperatures,  although  the  differ- 
ence is  considerably  less  than  it  was  with  the  firmer  Wisconsin  t}pe  of 
cheese. 

The  Illinois  cheese  was  quite  similar  to  the  Iowa  lot,  but  the  texture 
of  this  cheese  at  60°  was  considerably  more  impaired  than  that 
obtained  at  the  lower  temperatures. 

The  following  table  gives  the  summary  of  the  scores  of  these  two 
lots  (IoWa  and  Illinois)  taken  at  intervals  during  the  life  of  the 
cheese. 

Summary  of  scores  of  cheese  and  values  in  type  II  {sweet-curd). 


Age  in  months. 

Flavor  (standard  45). 

Texture  (standard  30). 

Price  (standard  13 
cents). 

40°. 

50°. 

60°. 

40°. 

50°. 

60°. 

40°. 

50°. 

60°. 

1 

35 

36.5 
40 
35 

22 
22 

23.5 
25 

9.6 

2 

37.5 
40.5 
39 

38 
40.5 

38 

23.5 

27 

26 

25 
26 
26 

10 

11.7 

11 

10.25 
11.13 
10.75 

9  75 

3 

10  87 

10  25 

In  the  accompanying  diagrams  the  above  tabular  data  are  pictori- 
ally  represented. 


42 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY, 


Flamor. — Figure  17  shows  the  course  of  development  of  the  flavor. 
While  there  was  not  much  difference  in  the  maximum  flavor  produced 
(one-half  point),  still  the  cold-cured  cheese  maintained  a  higher  flavor 
than  the  60°  throughout  the  whole  experiment.  The  rapid  deteriora- 
tion of  the  60°  was  especially  marked. 

CENTS 


\z 

l 

s 

i 

X 

It 

//. 

if   ' 
f    i 

X 

^4^ 

/    i 

n  i 

1; 

^4d 

to 

**' 

i 

i 

9 

MONTHS 

Fi<;.  19.— Price  for  type  IF. 

Texture. — In  texture,  both  the  40°  and  50°  were  much  superior  to 
the  60°  cheese,  as  is  evident  from  figure  18. 

Attention  should  also  be  directed  in  Plate  III  to  the  presence  of  the 
numerous  white  specks  which  only  appear  in  the  cold-cured  cheese. 

POINTS 
45 


/  2.  3 

MONTHS. 
Fig.  20.— Flavor  for  type  III. 


Bulletin  No.  49.  B.  A.  I. 


Plate  III. 


%» 

r  . 

% 

•.       » 

Q^otR 

'  // 

•                / 

* 

-   * 

*  ^'» 

3r 

m» 

*.»• 

• 

■m 

--,  1 

'«/ 

4      .• 

f 

*i     * 

L    ■  •• 

• 

*\* 

• 

*• 

JKk&     \S 

v» 

• 

v'      <•—" 

4* 

'    V 

-*' 

'„ 

'•c  -V 

/   * 

•) 

» 
* 

0 

1 

4 

- 

^ 

\      » 

*•    ■ 

# 

'■;.,,- 

jPJjffHBBB 

RI^CvbSfl^H 

*        fc 

xN  , 

,.  - 

- 

;'-'   ♦ 

*^ 

^* 

'         ~        ^ 

■" 

V                                '  * 

■•»-                    ^ 

6*f* 

%_■ 

4 '  z~* 

v . . « 

a         ,    * 

> 

0 

m£  V 

'J  /  > 

k*    ; 

4. 
r 


r  -, 


Two  Cheese  Sections— Type  II. 

Cheese  cured  at  -10°  on  top,  eheese  cured  at  (i0°  on  bottom. 


THE    COLD    CUEING    OF    CHEESE. 


43 


These  small  spots  have  always  been  found  in  our  cheese  cured  at  tem- 
peratures of  50°  and  below. 

Price. — The  commercial  standard  shows  again  the  improvement  in 
value  and  the  maintenance  of  this  improved  condition  for  a  longer 
period  of  time,  as  is  evident  from  figure  19. 

Course  of  Ripenino  in  Type  III. 

This  type  represents  the  softer  make  of  cheese  intended  for  home 
trade,  and  one  which  cures  more  quickly,  and  therefore  does  not  keep 

POINTS 

30\ 


28 


£6 


2.H 


22 


ao 


foO° 


/ 

^7 


/"*• 


7 
/. 

/40 


/ 


/  2  3  4  5 

MONTHS. 
Fig.  21. -Texture  for  type  III. 

as  long  as  the  firmer  Cheddar  type.  This  type  is  represented  b}'  four 
different  lots  of  Michigan  cheese  made  at  the  same  factory.  They 
were  not  of  standard  quality,  but  were  too  acid.  The  first  three  lots 
were  materially  delayed  in  transit  and  consequently  had  undergone 
considerable  change  before  being  cold-cured.  From  the  detailed  data 
given  in  the  appendix  (p.  68-70)  it  is  evident  that  lot  4  was  the  best, 
and  in  this  lot  the  40°  and  50°  were  both  better  than  the  60°. 

The  average  results  at  the  different   temperatures  are  shown  in 
the  following  table: 

Summary  of  scores  and  values  of  cheese  in  type  III  (soft  Michigan  cheese). 


Age  (months). 


Flavor  (standard  45).     Texture  (standard 


40° 

60° 

1 

2 

32.6 

39 

37.7 

35.3 

3 

39.5 

5 

37 

60° 


40° 


33       

37  21. 7 

40.2  26.3 

37.7  25.8 


50° 


22.7 
26.3 
25.5 


60° 


23 

23.3 

25.3 

25.5 


Price  (standard  13 
cents). 


40° 


9.3 
11.25 
10.4 


50° 


10.2 
11.4 
10.2 


60° 


10.5 
11.5 
10 


44 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Flavor. — In  this  case  the  flavor  of  the  4  lots  was  poor,  only  once 
exceeding  40  points.  While  the  60°  scored  higher  at  one  time  than 
the  cheese  at  the  other  two  temperatures,  the  40°  cheese  at  five  months 
equaled  the  flavor  of  the  higher  temperature  cheese  at  this  time,  as  is 
shown  in  the  table  and  also  in  figure  20. 

Texture. — Figure  21  shows  graphically  the  texture  scores  presented 
in  the  above  table.  The  60°  cheese  was  materially  better  in  the  begin- 
ning, but  fell  slightly  behind  at  the  three  months'  period. 

Price. — The  difference  in  price  of  this  cheese  at  three  months  was 
inconsequential,  and  from  this  date  the  cheese  at  all  temperatures  fell 
off  rapidly  in  value  as  shown  in  figure  22. 

CENTS. 


12 

// 

)  f 

>/' 
i/i 

\ 

\n4?' 

i 
/ 

i 

i 
i 

ft 

1 

\\scf- 

j 

10 

i 

i 

i 

i 

i 

1 

1 

9 

i 

i 
i 

1 

I 

M0NTH5 

Fig.  22.— Price  for  type  III. 

All  four  lots  of  these  Michigan  goods  were  more  or  less  delayed  in 
transit,  although  lot  four  was  no  more  so  than  some  of  the  cheese  in 
the  other  types.  But  with  this  moist,  quick-curing  cheese  it  was 
much  more  susceptible  to  temperature  influences,  and  hence  was 
materially  impaired  before  being  put  in  storage.  This  condition, 
taken  in  connection  with  the  inferior  make  (high  acid),  renders  this 
part  of  the  experiment  unsatisfactory. 


B.    EXAMINATION    BY   COMMERCIAL   EXPERTS. 

In  accordance  with  the  plan  originally  outlined,  the  cheese  in  these 
experiments  was  subjected  to  a  close  examination  by  a  jury  of  com- 
mercial experts,  who  had  no  knowledge  as  to  the  previous  treatment 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEP]SE. 


45 


which  the  cheese  had  received.  The  complete  data  as  to  their  scores, 
price  assigned,  etc.,  are  given  in  the  appendix  (p.  57).  From  these 
data  the  following  table  of  averages  for  each  lot  of  cheese  is  compiled, 
including  the  scores  made  when  the  cheese  was,  respectively,  three  and 
five  months  old: 

Cotnparvson  of  average  numerical  and  commercial  scores  made  by  jury  when  the  cheese  tvas 

3  and  5  months  old. 

FIRST  JURY  TEST  (3  MONTHS). 


At  40°. 

At  50°. 

At  60°. 

8 

> 

5 

o 
"3 

6 

Oh 

o 
> 

o} 

s 

o 

«5 
o 

On 

o 
> 

03 

H 

O 

o 
o 

9 

Oh 

Type  I  (typical  Cheddar) . 

Wisconsin: 

T.  J.,  Boaz 

41.3 
42.3 

25.8 
26.3 

11.8 
15   • 

12.3 
12.2 

43.3 
44.1 

27.6 
27.8 

14.3 
15 

12.6 
12.6 

42.3 
43.6 

28.6 

27.8 

14.0 
15 

12.4 

H.  J.  N.,Muscoda 

12.5 

P.  H.  K.,  Nicholson... 

44 

28.6 

14.8 

12.8 

44 

28.3 

14.6 

12.6     43         26.3 

14.2 

12.3 

laX,  La  Crosse 

43.3 

28.6 

14.3 

12.6 

43 

28.3 

14.3 

12.6  ,  42         27.3 

14.3 

12.3 

Total 

170.9   109.3 

55.9 

49.9 

171.4 

112 

58.2 

50.4   171.9   110 

57.5 

49.5 

Average 

42.7 

27.3  |  14 

12.5 

43.6 

28 

14.5 

12.6  |  43 

27.5 

14.4 

12.4 

Type  II  (sivert-curd) . 

Iowa: 

E.  G.  H.,  Union 

42.6 

27.6 

13.6 

12.3 

42.6 

26.6 

13 

12.2     42.6 

28 

13.2 

12.4 

Illinois: 

J.  B.  G.,  Sterling 

40.6 

25.6 

14.3 

11.2 

40 

25 

14 

11.1  !  40 

24.6 

14 

11.1 

Total 

83.2 

53.2 

27.9 

23.5 

82.6 

51.6 

27 

23.3  I  82.6 

52.6 

27.2 

23.5 

41.6 

26.6 

13.9 

11.7 

41.3 

26.8 

13.5 

11.6  i  41.3 

26.3 

13.6 

11.7 

Type  II I  (soft). 

Michigan: 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  I.... 

39.6 

26.0 

13 

11.9 

40.6 

26.6 

13 

12.2 

41 

26 

13 

12.2 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  II... 

40.6 

26.3 

12.5 

11.8 

41.6 

27.6 

13.3 

12.1 

40 

26.6 

12.6 

12 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  III.. 

40.3 

27.3 

13 

11.3 

42.6 

28 

13.3 

12 

40.3 

26.3 

13 

11.5 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  IV.. 

42 

28 

13.6 

12.3 

41 

26.6 

12.6 

11.8 

42 

27 

12.6 

12 

Total 

162.5 

107.6 

52.1 

47.3 

165.8 

108.8 

52.2 

48.1    189-3 

105.9 

51.2 

17.7 

40.6 

26.9 

13 

11.8 

41.4 

"■* 

13 

12 

40.8 

26.5 

12.8 

11.9 

46 


HITKKAU    OF    ANIMAL    [NDU8TEY. 


Comparison  of  average  numerical  and  commercial  scores  made  by  jury  when  the  cheese  was 

3  and  S  months  old — Continued. 

SECOND  JURY  TEST  (5  MONTHS). 


At  40°. 

At  50°. 

At  60°. 

0 

> 

s 

H 

u 

O 

© 

6 
a 

£ 

c 

o 
> 

M 

V 

H 

1-4 

o 
© 

si 
o 

£ 

c 
> 

as 

H 
a) 

H 

c 

a 

8 

9 

£ 

Type  I  (typical  Cheddar). 

Wisconsin: 

T.  J.,  Boaz 

43.6 

28.5 

15.0 

12.8 

40.0 

28.5 

15.0 

12.5 

38.5 

28.5 

15.0 

12.4 

H.  J.  N.,  Muscodn 

44 

29.5 

15 

13 

43.5 

28.6 

15 

12.9 

43 

28 

15 

12. 8 

P.  H.  K.,  Nichol>o.i... 

41 

28 

15 

12.6 

41.5 

28.5 

15 

12.6 

42 

28.5 

15 

12.8 

La  X,  La  Crosse 

41 

27.5 

13.5 

12.1 

40 

26.5 

12.5 

11.9 

35 

25 

14 

11 

Total 

109. 5 

113.5 

58.5 

50.5 

165 

112 

57.5 

49.9 

158.5 

110 

59 

49 

42.4 

28.4 

14.6 

12.6 

41.2 

28 

14.4 

12.5 

39.6 

27.5 

14.7 

12  2 

Type  II  (sweet-curd). 

Iowa: 

E.  G.  H.,  Union 

41.5 

26 

13 

12 

39.5 

.25 

13 

11.5 

Illinois: 

J.  B.  G.,  Sterling 

38.5 

24.5 

13.5 

11 

39        25. 6 

13.5 

11.1 

39 

25 

13.5 

11 

Total 

80 

50.5 

26.5 

23 

78.5  !  50.5 

26.5 

22.6 

40 

26. 2 

13.2 

11.5 

39.2  j  25.2 

13.2 

11.3 

39 

25 

13.5 

11 

Type  III  (soft) . 

1 

Michigan- 

A.  H.B.,  Merrill,  I.... 

36 

26 

11 

11.6 

36.5 

26.5 

11.5 

11.8 

37 

26. 5 

11 

11.6 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  II... 

40 

26 

11 

11 

38.5 

26. 5 

11 

11 

37.5 

25.5 

11 

11 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  III.. 

38 

27 

13 

11.3 

39.5 

25. 5 

11 

11.4 

38.5 

26 

12.5 

11.4 

A.  H.  B.,  Merrill,  IV.. 

43 

27 

12 

12.3 

42.5 

27.5 

12.5 

12.3 

40.  9 

25 

11 

11.8 

Total 

157 

106 

47 

46.2 

157 

105 

46 

46.5 

153. 5 

103 

45. 5 

45.8 

39.2 

26.5 

11.7 

11.5 

39.2 

26.2 

11.5 

11.6 

38.4 

25.7 

11.4 

11.4 

In  the  first  test  the  jury  consisted  of  Messrs.  White,  Millar,  and  Kirk- 
patrick.  In  the  second  test,  made  when  the  cheese  was  5  months  old, 
one  of  the  judges  (Kirkpatrick)  was  unfortunately  unable  to  assist. 
It  is  therefore  impossible  to  compare  with  each  other  the  average 
scores  secured  in  these  two  tests,  as  the  judgment  of  the  different 
members  of  the  jury  naturally  is  not  uniform.  In  comparing,  there- 
fore, the  course  of  ripening  in  the  three  and  five  months'  tests,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  correct  the  averages  given  by  eliminating  the  score  of 
the  judge  who  was  absent  in  the  second  test. 

For  purposes  of  study,  however,  the  two  tests  can  be  considered 
independent^  and  the  influence  of  the  different  temperatures  on  the 
character  of  the  cheese  determined. 

Results  of  First  Jury  Trial. 

When  the  cheese  had  been  cured  for  three  months,  the  sample 
cheese  which  had  been  tested  previously  at  monthly  intervals  by  Mr. 
Baer,  was  shipped  by  refrigerator  service  to  Chicago  and  submitted 
to  the  jury  for  examination.     In  the  appendix  (p.  62)  are  given  the 


Bulletin   No.  49,  B.  A.  I. 


Plate  IV. 


Three  Cheese  Sections— Illinois  Cheese. 
Cheese  at  top  cured  at  -10°.  in  middle  at  50°,  and  at  bottom  at  60°. 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  47 

detailed  data  collected  at  this  time.  The  average  of  these  scores  for 
the  different  types  of  cheese  and  at  different  temperatures  is  presented 
in  the  table  on  page  45.  Necessarily  these  data  must  be  discussed  on 
the  basis  of  the  different  types  and  not  considered  together.  When 
this  is  done  the  following  conclusions  appeal"  to  be  warranted. 

Type  I  {firm,  solid,  export  cheese). — In  the  four  lots  of  cheese  which 
comprised  this  group  the  50°  product  was  higher  in  flavor  twice, 
the  4(>  once,  and  once  the  40°  and  50°  were  alike.  In  no  case,  even 
at  this  age,  when  the  60°  cheese  was  at  its  best  (as  shown  by  the  serial 
examinations  made  by  Mr.  Baer),  did  this  cheese  reach  as  tine  a  flavor 
as  at  the  lower  temperatures. 

In  texture  the  40°  lot  was  ahead  twice,  once  the  50°  and  60°  were 
alike,  and  once  the  60°  was  the  highest. 

As  to  price,  in  no  case  did  the  60°  equal  the  value  set  upon  the  cheese 
cured  at  the  lower  temperatures,  although  the  difference  given  by  the 
judges  was  slight.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  price  assigned  by 
the  commercial  jury  was  influenced  materially  by  the  fact  that  there  is 
considerable  difference  in  qualit}^,  even  among  the  best  t}Tpes  of  cheese, 
without  a  corresponding  difference  in  price.  In  the  majority  of  cases, 
when  the  cheese  scored  within  one  or  two  points  of  perfect,  the  price  was 
cut  from  a  quarter  to  a  half  cent  below  the  market  standard  (13  cents), 
simply  because  the  appearance  of  the  cheese  on  the  surface  (mold,  etc.) 
warranted  this  reduction  from  a  purely  commercial  point  of  view. 
The  judges  were  free  to  admit  that  intrinsically  the  cold-cured  cheese 
was  of  much  better  quality  than  is  usually  obtained  in  the  market. 
This  cheese  was  box-cured  and  received  no  especial  care  throughout 
the  experiment;  consequently  the  exterior  appearance  of  the  same  had 
been  impaired.  With  proper  control  this  condition  could  have  been 
entirely  obviated,  as  we  have  been  able  to  show  repeatedly  where 
cheese  was  cold-cured  under  our  direct  supervision. 

Type  II  {sweet-curd  cheese). — In  this  type,  in  which  less  acid  was 
developed,  little  or  no  difference  was  observed  in  the  Iowa  goods;  but 
in  the  Illinois  cheese  the  40°  product  had  a  better  flavor  and  texture 
than  the  cheese  cured  at  50°  or  60°.  Plate  IV  shows  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Illinois  cheese  cured  at  the  three  temperatures  when  3 
months  old. 

Type  III  {soft,  home-trade  cJieese). — This  type  is  represented  by  four 
different  lots  from  the  same  factory.  All  of  the  lots  were  highly  acid 
and  were  of  somewhat  inferior  make.  Then,  too,  the  earlier  lots  were 
delayed  in  transit  from  the  factory  to  the  curing  station,  so  that  the 
results  of  the  experiment  should  not  be  considered  as  necessarily  typ- 
ical of  the  cold-curing  process.  In  this  group  of  four  tests  the  50° 
goods  were  ahead  twice  on  flavor,  the  60°  once,  and  once  the  40c  and 
i;d  were  alike.  In  texture  the  50°  was  highest  three  times  out  of 
four. 


48  BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

GENERAL   SUMMARY    OF   THE    FIRST    (tHKKK    MONTHS)    TEST. 

The  cheese  was  examined  at  this  date  by  the  commercial  judges, 
as  it  was  thought  that  the  highest  temperature  cheese  (60°)  had  reached 
its  maximum  condition.  It  was  naturally  expected  that  the  60 
product  at  this  time  would  rank  higher  in  quality  than  the  cold-cured 
goods.  From  the  above  data,  it  is  evident  that  such  a  condition  did 
not  obtain,  as  is  indicated  in  the  following  summary  of  scores: 

Summary  of  average  scores  for  types  I,  J  I,  and  III,  at  three  morulas. 


At  40°. 

At  50°. 

41.66 

42.28 

27.01 

27.  M 

2 

4 

3 

2 

3 

3 

0 

1 

At  60°. 


Average  scores  of  ten  lots  on  flavor 41. 66  42. 28  41. 78 

Average  scores  of  ten  lots  on  texture 27.01  27.24  26.85 

Number  of  times  each  lot  has  highest  score  on  flavor 2  4  1 

Number  of  times  each  lot  tied  on  score  on  flavor 3  2  2 

Number  of  times  each  lot  had  highest  score  on  texture 3  3  3 

Number  of  times  each  lot  tied  on  score  on  texture 0  1  1 


From  this  it  appears  that  the  50°  cheese  was  superior  in  flavor  and 
texture,  not  only  on  the  basis  of  the  total  scores,  but  also  as  to  the 
number  of  times  they  ranked  highest  or  equal  to  the  cheese  cured  at 
either  of  the  other  temperatures.  This  test  was  made  before  the  40 
goods  were  marketable,  but  even  at  this  time  this  cheese  compared 
favorably  with  the  60°  product. 

Results  of  Second  Jury  Trial. 

The  second  commercial  scoring  was  made  at  the  end  of  five  months, 
at  which  time  it  was  thought  that  the  cold-cured  goods  could  best  be 
judged  from  a  market  point  of  view.  The  results  of  this  scoring 
follow: 

Type  I. — In  the  four  lots  tested  of  this  firm-bodied  cheese,  the  40° 
was  highest  in  flavor  throe  times  and  the  60°  once.  Averaging  the 
total  scores  shows  that  the  40°  cheese  scored  2.8  points  higher  than 
the  t)0°,  and  even  the  50°  was  1.0  points  above  the  cheese  held  at  what 
ha^  been  considered  ideal  curing  conditions. 

In  texture  the  40°  was  highest  twice,  while  in  the  other  cases  the 
scores  were  equal.  Numerically,  the  average  texture  of  the  40c  was 
nearly  a  point  above  the  60°.  At  this  age  the  60°  goods  began  to  show 
signs  of  deterioration,  while  the  cold-cured  goods  kept  much  better. 

Type  II. — In  this  test  one  lot  of  the  60°  goods  (Iowa)  was  mislaid 
in  transit,  and  hence  was  not  tested,  but  in  this  case  the  40°  was  2 
points  above  the  50°  in  flavor,  and  1  point  on  texture.  In  the  Illinois 
cheese  but  little  difference  was  observed. 

Type  III. — In  this  softer  cheese,  twice  the  40°  scored  highest  in 
flavor,  the  50°  and  60°  once  each.  On  texture  the  40°  scored  highest 
twice,  the  50°  once,  and  the  50°  and  60°  tied  once. 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 

GENERAL    SCMMARY    OF    SECOND   (FIVE    MONTHS)   TEST. 


49 


In  this  test  the  average  score,  as  well  as  the  number  of  times  any 
lot  has  scored  the  highest,  shows  that  the  40°  cheese  was  superior  to 
those  at  either  of  the  other  temperatures,  while  at  this  age  the  60° 
cheese  showed  that  it  had  passed  its  prime.  The  summary  of  these 
scores  is  indicated  below: 

Summary  of  average  scores  for  types  /,  77,  and  III,  at  five  months. 


At  40°.    At  50°.    At  60°. 


Average  scores  of  nine  lots  on  flavor 

Average  scores  of  nine  lots  on  texture 

Number  of  times  each  lot  had  highest  score  on  flavor  . 

Number  of  times  each  lot  tied  on  score  on  flavor 

Number  of  times  each  lot  had  highest  score  on  texture 
Number  of  times  each  lot  tied  on  score  on  texture 


40.65 

40.05 

39.0 

27. 0 

26. 

75 

26.4 

6 

1 

2 

0 

1 

1 

5 

2 

0 

1 

3 

3 

Comparison  of  the  First  and  Second  J  cry  Trials  as  Indicating  the  Keeping 

QCALITY    OF   THE   ClIEESE. 

It  is  important  to  compare  the  scores  of  the  commercial  judges  made 
at  the  first  and  second  jury  trials,  as  in  this  way  it  is  possible  to  study 
the  keeping  quality  of  the  cheese  cured  at  different  temperatures. 
Unfortunately  one  of  the  judges  could  not  be  present  at  the  second 
test.  Therefore  the  judgment  of  the  other  two  has  been  used  in 
comparing  the  data  of  the  two  tests.  The  average  scores  of  flavor 
and  texture  of  these  judges,  made  at  the  first  and  second  trials,  are 
given  below: 

Comparison  of  average  scores  made  by  the  same  judges  at  the  3  and  5  montlis'  tests. 


At  40°  F. 


Type. 


Three  I    Five 
months,  months. 


Flavor  (standard  L5). 
I 

42.4 

11 

41.5 

in 

40.3 

Texture  (standard  30). 
I 

27 

II 

26.5 

Ill 

26. 1 

Vriii  (standard,  13 cents). 
I 

12.4 

II 

11.7 

Ill 

11.6 

42.4 
40 
39. 2 


28.4 
25.2 
26.5 


12.6 
11.5 
11.5 


Differ- 
ence. 


0 
1.5 
1.1 


t-1.4 

1.3 

—0.4 

-0.2 

-0.2 

0.1 


At50°F. 


At  60°  F. 


Three 


months,  months,    ence.    months,  months. 


43.2 
41.3 
40.8 

27.8 
25.8 


12.6 
11.6 
11.9 


Five      Differ-  !  Three       Five 


.  12. 
11. 
11. 


39.6 

39 

38.4 


27.5 

25 

25.7 


12.2 

11 

11.4 


Differ- 


-0.3 
1.0 
0.3 


0.2 
0.7 
0.5 


a  Where  quality  improved  with  age  instead  of  deteriorating,  it  is  indicated  in  column  of  difference 
by  the  use  of  the  minus  sign. 

4189— No.  49—03 4 


50  BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

The  above  table  is  instructive  in  showing  1 1 1  *  *  progress  <>t"  the  curing 

at  three  and  five  months  periods. 

Type  I. — With  reference  to  flavor,  type  I  showed  its  better  keeping 
qualities,  inasmuch  as  it  held  its  own  at  40°,  while  at  50°  the  cheese 
had  deteriorated  2  points  and  at  60  2.9  points.  The  texture  improved 
at  all  temperatures  as  the  age  increased,  Imt  was  much  more  pronounced 
(over  a  point)  at  40  than  at  50°  or  00  .  This  improvement  in  flavor 
and  texture  is  also  reflected  in  the  enhancement  in  commercial  value. 
The  40°  gained  0.2  cent  per  pound  in  three  to  five  months,  while  the 
50°  fell  off  0.1  cent  and  the  60°  0.2  cent  per  pound.  Thus  in  all  ways 
the  advantage  of  cold  curing  is  evident  on  this  firm,  solid  type  of  the 
Wisconsin  cheese. 

Type  II. — In  this  type,  in  which  less  acid  was  developed  than  in  the 
typical  Cheddar  type,  the  deterioration  in  flavor  was  less  at  40  than 
at  either  50°  or  60°.  In  texture,  however,  all  scored  lower  at  five 
months,  the  data  showing  a  wider  difference  at  40°  than  at  the  other 
two  temperatures.  In  price,  however,  the  cheese  was  considered  to 
be  worth  0.2  cent  per  pound  more  at  40°,  while  the  60°  cheese  had 
depreciated  0.7  cent. 

Type  III. — In  the  softer  Michigan  make,  in  which  more  rapid  dete- 
rioration would  bo  expected,  the  falling  off  in  flavor  was  2  points  at 
60°  as  against  1.1  points  at  40°.  In  texture  the  40°  improved  0.4 
point,  while  the  othor  two  depreciated  0.8  and  0.3  point,  respectively. 
In  price,  all  these  goods  were  of  less  value  at  five  months  than  at 
three,  but  they  had  depreciated  0.5  cent  at  60°  and  only  0.1  cent 
at  40°. 

Summarizing  the  above,  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  the  keep- 
ing quality  of  all  of  these  various  types  of  American  cheese  is  improved 
by  curing  them  at  these  lower  temperatures.  This  is  more  evident 
with  the  firm,  solid  Wisconsin  type  of  Cheddar  than  with  the  softer, 
quick-curing  goods;  but  even  these  can  be  held  with  less  deterioration 
at  these  temperatures  than  is  possible  under  present  curing  conditions. 

SUMMARY   OF    EFFECT   OF   TEMPERATURE    ON    yUALITY. 

As  the  three  different  types  of  cheese  represented  in  these  experi- 
ments varied  so  much  in  character,  it  will  be  fairer  to  state  the  con- 
clusions with  relation  to  each  separately.  The  scores  on  these  lots  of 
cheese  were  made  separately  by  our  own  cheese  expert  throughout  tin- 
whole  curing  period,  and  also  at  stated  intervals  by  the  commercial 
judges. 

Type  I  {frm  -bodied,  typical  Cheddar  cheese). — At  60°  F.  flavor 
developed  more  rapidly  than  at  lower  temperatures,  Imt  the  maximum 
score  at  this  temperature,  as  indicated  by  Baer,  was  equaled  or  exceeded 
by  the  maximum  score  at  50°  or  40°.     In  the  scoring  made  by  the 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  51 

commercial  jury  the  50c  averaged  0.6  point  higher  than  the  60°,  when 
cheese  was  3  months  old.  When  5  months  old,  the  40°  was  2.8  points 
higher  than  the  60°,  and  the  50°  1.6  points  higher. 

In  texture  the  course  of  development  was  quite  the  same,  the  judges 
scoring  the  50°  ahead  at  3  months,  but  at  5  months  the  40°  averaged 
nearly  a  point  higher  than  the  60°. 

Type  Tl  {sweet-curd  type). — In  this  low-acid  cheese  the  course  for 
ripening  followed  the  same  rule  as  in  the  above  type,  although  this 
cheese  was  inferior  in  quality  to  the  preceding  type. 

Type  111  {soft  home-trade  type). — The  results  on  this  quick-curing 
type  of  cheese  were  affected  by  the  delay  in  transit,  which  permitted 
of  a  considerable  degree  of  ripening  before  the  cheese  was  put  in  the 
curing  rooms.  In  this  type  of  cheese  the  improvement  was  less 
marked,  but  when  the  enhanced  keeping  quality  is  considered,  the 
cold- curing  process  was  found  to  be  advantageous  even  under  these 
advanced  conditions. 

C.    INFLUENCE    OF   PARAFFINING    ON    QUALITY    OF    CHEESE. 

With  the  use  of  lower  temperatures  for  curing,  a  higher  degree  of 
saturation  of  the  atmosphere  is  always  found,  which  greatly  promotes 
the  development  of  mold,  and  this  growth  injures  the  salability,  though 
not  the  quality,  of  the  cheese,  and  hence  many  attempts  have  been  made 
to  overcome  the  difficult}*.  The  most  efficient  method  yet  proposed  is 
to  coat  the  surface  of  the  cheese  with  an  impervious  layer,  which,  by 
excluding  oxygen,  prevents  development  of  molds.  For  this  purpose 
the  cheeses  are  immersed  in  a  bath  of  melted  paraffin,  which,  upon 
cooling,  adheres  closely  to  the  surface.  While  this  effectually  accom- 
plishes the  desired  end,  it  is  a  question  of  importance  whether  the 
quality  of  the  cheese  so  treated  is  affected  prejudicially  or  not.  It  is 
possible  to  conceive  that  the  retention  of  all  volatile  decomposition 
products  within  the  cheese  might  injure  the  flavor  of  the  product. 

In  these  cheese-curing  experiments  it  was  thought  advisable  to  insti- 
tute a  series  of  trials  to  determine  what  influence  paraffining  had  on 
the  quality,  as  shown  by  the  flavor  and  texture  scores.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  cheese  which  was  used  in  the;  experiments  on  shrinkage  (La 
Crosse  lot)  was  scored  by  Mr.  Baer,  and  was  also  submitted  to  the 
experts  for  scoring  at  the  regular  periods.  These  scores  are  to  be 
found  in  the  appendix  (pp.  58  and  64),  but,  in  order  to  permit  of  a  more 


52 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


read}-  comparison,  a  summary  of  the  flavor  and  texture  scores  of  the 
paraffined  and  the  normal  cheese  is  presented  in  the  following  table: 

Comparative  scores  of  paraffined  and  unparaffined  cheese  (dames  and  10-pound  prints). 

a>-POUND  DAISIES. 


Age  by 

months. 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Curing  temperature. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

Unpar- 
affined. 

Difference. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

Unpar- 
afftned. 

Difference. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

Unpar- 
aftincd. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

i'lipar- 
afflned. 

1 
2 

30 

30 
34 

23 
26 

4 

22 

4 

40°  F 

3 

<"3 

43.5 
43.3 

40 
13.8 

3.5 

0 

0 

29.  5 
28.6 

29 
28.6 

0.5 
0 

0 

8 

40 

40 

0 

0 

29 

28 

1 

06 

41.5 

41 

0.  5 

27 

27.5 

0.5 

1 
2 

33 

30 
35 

24 
27 

2 

23 

4 

50°  F  . .                                

3 
«3 

41 
43 

40 
43 

1 

0 

0 

28 
28.6 

29 
28. 3 

0.3 

1 

5 

39 

38 

1 

28 

27 

1 

«5 

40.5 

40 

0.5 

26. 5 

26. 5 

0 

0 

f          1 

30 

28 

2 

22 

26 

4 

2 

33 

30 

3 

26 

27 

1 

60°  F 

3 
«3 

38 
41.8 

38 
12 

0 

0 
0.7 

27 
27.6 

29 
27. 3 

0.3 

2 

5 

38 

85 

3       

28 

25 

3 

"  5 

39.  5 

35 

28 

25 

8 

10-POUND  PRINTS. 


40°  F 


50°  F 


60°F f. 


r     i 

38 

38 

0 

0 

22 

22 

0 

2 

38 

88 

0 

0 

25 

25 

0 

[       a8 

43.3 

43 

0.3 

28.  8 

27.6 

0.7 

f         » 

38 

38 

0 

0 

21 

21 

0 

2 

11 

11 

0 

0 

26 

26 

0 

I       a8 

43.3 

13. 8 

0 

0 

28.  e 

28 

0.6 

f         1 

40 

Hi 

0 

0 

25 

25 

0 

2 

43 

42 

1 

28 

27 

] 

3 

45 

44.5 

0.5 

29. 5 

29. 5 

0 

[       08 

43.3 

42.6 

0.7 

28.6 

28. 6 

0 

«Tlii-  Indicates  that  the  score  made  at  this  time  was  by  the  commercial  experts,    scores  <>f  same 
date  not  bearing  reference  mark  are  by  Mr.  Baer. 

From  these  data  it  is  evident  that  the  difference  between  the  same 
lot  of  cheese  when  paraffined  or  unparaffined  is  very  slight.  If  the 
course  of  curing-  is  considered,  as  is  shown  by  the  scores  of  Mr.  Baer, 
which  were  taken  when  the  cheese  was  1,  2,  3,  and  5  months  old,  it  is 
apparent  that  the  application  of  paraffin  has  not  injured  either  the 
flavor  or  the  texture  of  the  cheese.  By  reference  to  the  column 
headed  "Difference"  in  the  above  table,  it  will  be  further  noted  that 
in  the  daisies  the  unparaffined  cheese  was,  with  one  exception  (60°), 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  53 

better  at  the  beginning;  but  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  curing 
and  to  the  end  of  the  experiment  the  paraffined  improved  much  more 
rapidly,  and  without  exception  was  as  good  as  or  better  than  the 
unparaffined. 

With  the  prints  the  difference  in  scores  was  practically  negligible. 

This  same  cheese  was  scored  by  the  commercial  experts  when  it  was 
three  and  five  months  old,  and  it  should  be  noted  that  the  opinions  of 
these  experts  coincided  quite  closely  with  those  of  Mr.  Baer. 

It  would  be  unsafe  from  these  limited  experiments  to  draw  any  gen- 
eral conclusions,  but  so  far  as  they  go  these  trials  show  that  no  injurious 
effect  was  observed  on  either  the  flavor  or  the  texture  of  the  paraffined 
cheese. 

GENERAL  SUMMARY. 

The  purpose  of  the  experiments  detailed  above  was  to  test  the  value 
of  low  temperatures  for  the  curing  of  cheese  made  under  widely  dif- 
ferent but  commercial  conditions.  To  accomplish  this  purpose,  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  purchase  the  product  from  a  wide  range  of  terri- 
tory. This  condition  rendered  it  impossible  to  install  the  cheese  in 
the  curing  rooms  immediately  after  it  was  taken  from  the  press,  and 
hence  the  full  effect  of  the  process  is  not  so  evident  as  would  have 
been  the  case  if  the  cheese  had  not  had  an}r  preliminary  curing. 

Naturally  a  comparison  of  the  cold-curing  process  would  be  made 
with  the  conditions  most  frequentty  found  in  factories,  but  in  these 
studies  the  low  temperature  cured  product  has  been  compared  with 
cheese  ripened  at  about  60°  F. — a  temperature  which  has  hitherto 
been  considered  as  the  best  for  the  ripening  of  Cheddar  cheese. 

EFFECT   ON   SHRINKAGE. 

When  cheese  is  cold-cured,  the  losses  due  to  shrinkage  in  weight 
are  greatly  reduced  over  what  occurs  under  ordinary  factory  conditions. 

(1)  Influence  of  temperature. — Cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  decreased  in 
weight  in  ninet}T  days  from  1  to  1.4  per  cent,  while  that  cured  at  50°  and 
60°  F.  lost  fully  three  times  as  much.  This  saving  would  be  still 
further  increased  if  comparison  were  made  between  the  results  of  cold 
curing  and  existing  factory  conditions.  Under  prevailing  factory 
practice  cheese  is  sold  at  a  much  earlier  date  than  is  advisable  with 
cold-cured  goods,  but  the  loss  under  present  conditions,  for  even  as 
brief  a  curing  period  as  twenty  days,  is  fully  four  times  as  great  as 
has  occurred  in  these  experiments  in  a  ninety -day  period  (the  minimum 
curing  period  recommended)  under  cold-curing  conditions  (40°  F.). 
This  saving  in  a  factory  making  500  pounds  of  cheese  daily  would 
average  not  less  than  15  pounds  of  cheese  per  day  for  the  entire  season, 
or  considerably  more  than  this  if  only  summer-made  cheese  was  cold 
cured. 


54  BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

(2)  Tnfiuena  of type  of  cheese.  In  these  experiments  different  types 
of  cheese  were  used,  ranging  from  the  firm,  typical  Cheddar  to  the 
soft,  moist,  quick-Curing  cheese  made  for  the  home  trade.  The  losses 
with  the  firmer  type  were  considerably  reduced  in  comparison  with 
the  other,  but  the  conditions  to  which  the  softer  types  of  cheese  were 
subjected  were  not  as  favorable  (because  of  initial  delays),  and  hence 
the  losses  with  these  types  can  not  be  relied  upon  with  such  detinite- 
ness.  As  this  cheese  was  exceedingly  moist,  the  total  losses  from  the 
press  were  undoubtedly  greater  than  here  reported. 

(3)  Influence  tfsi&eofcheese.-'-'FbLe  size  of  package  exerts  a  marked 
effect  on  the  rate  of  loss.  At  ordinary  temperatures,  the  smaller  the 
cheese  the  more  rapidly  it  dries  out.  This  difference  in  loss  diminishes 
•as  the  temperature  is  lowered,  and  in  our  experiments  at  4<>  F.  was 
practically  independent  of  the  size.  This  condition,  however,  was 
undoubted!}'  attributable  to  the  relative  humidity  of  the  curing  room. 
which  at  40°  F.  was  100  per  cent. 

(4)  Injimnci'  of  -paraffin. — By  coating  the  cheese  with  melted  paraf- 
fin the  losses  at  60°  were  reduced  more  than  one-half  at  60°;  the  sav- 
ing was  somewhat  less,  and  at  40  the  losses  observed  on  the  paraffined 
cheese  of  both  sizes  used  were  slightly  in  excess  of  those  noted  on  the 
uncoated  cheese. 

(5)  As  some  loss  occurs  even  in  a  saturated  atmosphere,  where  evap- 
oration is  presumed  not  to  take  place,  it  implies  that  the  shrinkage  in 
weight  of  cheese  under  these  conditions  is  not  wholly  due  to  desicca- 
tion, but  is  possibly  affected  by  the  production  of  volatile  products  that 
are  formed  by  processes  inherent  in  the  curing  of  cheese. 

EFFECT   ON    QUALITY. 

(6)  The  three  t3rpes  of  cheese  above  referred  to  can  scarcely  be  com- 
pared closely  with  each  other,  as  they  were  so  different  in  their  make-up 
and  subjected  to  somewhat  different  conditions  during  transit.  By  far 
the  most  satisfactory  portion  of  the  experiment  is  that  which  relates 
to  type  I,  in  which  the  best  quality  of  cheese  was  represented.  With 
these  firm,  typical  Cheddars  the  influence  of  temperature  on  curing 
could  best  be  studied.  This  cheese  was  also  placed  in  storage  nearer 
the  press  than  any  of  the  other  types,  and  hence  the  test  as  to  the 
effect  of  the  curing  temperature  was  more  satisfactory.  In  this  type 
the  60°  cheese  was  of  excellent  qualify  and  naturally  developed  faster 
than  the  cold-cured  goods,  but  in  time  it  was  surpassed  by  the  cheese 
at  the  lower  temperatures  (50  and  4<>  ),  and.  when  the  keeping  qual- 
ity of  the  latter  was  taken  into  consideration,  it  was  found  to  be  supe- 
rior in  every  way  to  that  cured  at  00  .  Even  when  the  condition  of 
the  milk  was  not  entirely  perfect,  the  quality  of  the  cold-cured  cheese 
was  better,  although  the  original  taint  was  not  removed. 

"With  the  sweet-curd  (type  II)  and  the  soft  home-trade  cheese  (type 


THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE.  55 

III)  the  effect  of  the  disturbing  influences  previously  noted  rendered 
it  impossible  to  obtain  as  satisfactory  results,  but,  even  under  these 
adverse  conditions,  the  40°  and  50°  cheese  generally  ranked  better 
than  the  60c,  and,  when  keeping  quality  was  taken  into  consideration, 
was  materially  better. 

This  same  cheese  was  also  scored  independently  by  commercial 
experts  when  three  and  five  months  old.  The  results  obtained  conform 
very  closely  to  those  mentioned  above,  and  indicate  the  superiority  of 
the  cold-cured  product  (either  at  50°  or  40°)  in  comparison  with  the 
cheese  cured  at  00°.  This  improvement  in  quality  reflects  itself  also 
in  the  commercial  values  which  were  placed  upon  the  cheese  cured  at 
different  temperatures,  both  by  our  own  expert  and  also  by  the 
commercial  judges. 

In  this  low-temperature-cured  cheese  the  flavor  was  remarkably 
mild  but  clean,  and  was  free  from  all  trace  of  bitterness  or  other  taint. 
The  texture  was  fine  and  silky  and  the  bod\r  close. 

(T)  Keeping  quality. — The  keeping  qualit}1-  of  the  cold-cured  cheese 
far  excels  that  of  the  cheese  ripened  at  higher  temperatures.  The  better 
types  of  cheese  cured  at  40  F.  are  at  present  writing  (eight  months) 
still  in  their  prime,  while  the  60°  cheese  has  long  since  greatly 
deteriorated. 

(8)  Effect  of  paraffin  on  quality. — Portions  of  two  lots  of  cheese 
were  paraffined  as  they  came  from  the  press,  but  were  otherwise 
handled  the  same  as  the  unparafiined  cheese.  The  results  obtained 
showed  that  paraffining  did  not  prejudicially  affect  their  quality  at  any 
temperature.  As  paraffining  greatly  reduced  the  shrinkage,  the  bene- 
ficial effect  of  the  system  is  obvious.  The  rapid  introduction  of  the 
method  in  commercial  practice  further  attests  its  value. 

(9)  The  production  of  a  thoroughly  broken-down  Cheddar  cheese  of 
mild,  delicate  flavor  and  perfect  texture  meets  a  demand  which  is 
impossible  to  satisfy  with  cheese  cured  at  high  temperatures.  With- 
out any  question,  if  the  general  market  can  be  supplied  with  this  mild, 
well-ripened  cheese,  consumption  will  be  greatly  stimulated,  not  only 
b}^  increasing  the  amount  used  by  present  consumers,  but  b\T  largely 
extending  the  use  of  this  valuable  and  nutritious  article  of  food. 

(10)  The  improvement  in  quality  of  cold-cured  cheese,  the  enhanced 
keeping  quality,  and  the  material  saving  in  shrinkage  due  to  lessened 
evaporation  are  sufficient  to  warrant  a  considerable  expenditure  on 
the  part  of  cheese  producers  in  installing  cold-curing  stations. 

The  principle  of  increasing  cost  of  equipment  to  lessen  cost  of  pro- 
duction or  augment  gross  earnings  is  recognized  as  a  sound  financial 
method  by  all  large  enterprises,  and,  while  the  expense  involved  is 
considerabh'  more  than  is  incurred  under  existing  conditions,  yet  the 
advantages  enumerated  more  than  compensate  for  such  expense  where 
carried  out  under  proper  conditions. 


56  BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

(11)  This  system  is  particularly  applicable  where  the  product  of  a 
number  of  factories  can  be  handled  atone  point,  and  such  consolidated 
curing  stations  must  be  established  before  the  cold-curing  process  can 
be  economically  introduced.  Such  stations  are  now  successfully  used 
in  a  number  of  localities.  The  greatest  advantage  will  undoubtedly 
accrue  from  the  use  of  this  system  of  curing  with  summer-made 
cheese,  but  the  process  is  equally  applicable  to  cheese  made  at  any 
season  of  the  3Tear. 


APPENDIX. 

In  the  following  appendix  are  given  the  original  data  collected  in 
the  series  of  examinations  made  by  Mr.  Baer  and  the  commercial 
experts.  From  these  data  are  compiled  the  summaries  which  are 
presented  in  the  text  of  the  foregoing  bulletin. 

Remit*  of  examinations  1>y  Mr.  Baer  during  progress  of  curing  cheese  in  type  I  (firm, 

export  Cheddar  type). 

Lot  1.— Thos.  Johnston,  Boaz,  Richland  County,  Wis. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  clean  but  low;  body,  close:  texture,  curdy  but  meaty;  curd  particles  well  cemented; 
color,  straight,  even;  cheese,  well  made. 


Curing 
temper- 
ature. 

Age  of 
cheese 
when  ex- 
amined. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Commer- 
cial value 
(stand- 
ard, 13 
cents). 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard, 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard, 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard, 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture 
and  body. 

Color. 

Months. 

1 
2 
3 
5 

8 

r          l 

2 
3 

I             5 

r         l 

2 
3 

I              5 

35 
37 
40 
42 
45 
38 
40 
42 
38 
38 
43 
44 
36 

24 

27 

29 

29 

29 

22 

24 

28 

29 

24 

25 

29.5 

27 

15 
14 
14 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 

1 
Flat,  low  . . . !  Curdy 

Flat Curdy 

Clean,  low..    Smooth 

Clean Stiff 

Clean,  high.1  Stiff,  close  . 

Low Stiff 

Low Stiff 

Low Waxy 

Tainted Loose 

Flat Stiff 

O.  K 

40°  F  . . . . 

Streaked  . .. 

Wavv 

0.  K 

0.  K 

0.  K 

9 

10.5 
12.5 
13 

50°  F  . . . . 

O.  K 

0.  K 

0.  K 

0.  K 

10.5 
12.5 
11.5 

60°F  .... 

Flat 

Clean 

Off 

Stiff 

Silky 

Loose 

0.  K 

0.  K 

O.  K 

11.5 

13 

10.5 

Lot  2.— H.  J.  No  yes,  Muscoda,  Grant  County,  Wis. 

Note.— The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-cur- 
ing station:  Flavor,  clean;  body,  close,  meaty;  texture,  smooth;  color,  bright,  straight,  natural  amber; 
curd  particles  firmly  cemented;  not  so  dry  and  firm  as  lot  1. 


40°  F. 


50°  F. 


fiO°F. 


Motiths. 

(             1 

35 

20 

15 

2 

37 

21 

15 

3 

41 

26.5 

15 

5 

45 

30 

15 

8 

45 

30 

15 

f             1 

35 

21 

15 

2 

35 

22 

15 

3 

42 

27 

14 

5 

44 

30 

15 

f             1 

35 

20 

14 

2 

38 

25 

15 

3 

44 

29.5 

15 

I            5 

44 

29 

15 

Flat,  low  ... 

Flat 

Clean 

Clean,  high. 
Clean,  high. 

Low 

Low 

Clean 

Clean,  high. 

Low 

Low 

Clean,  high. 
Clean,  high. 


Curdy 

Curdy  

Smooth 

Silky 

Silky 

Curdy 

Curdy 

Mealy 

Silky 

Curdy 

Curdy 

Smooth 

Silky 


O.  K 
O.K 
O.K 
O.  K 
O.K 
Dull 
Dull 
Dull 
O.K 
Dull 
Dull 
O  K 
O.K 


10 

11.75 
13.25 
13.25 


57 


58 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Results  of  examinations  !>>/  Mr.    liner  during  progress  <>/  curing  eheese  in  type   I  (Jinn, 
export  Cheddar  type) — Continued. 

Lot  3.— P.  H.  Kasper,  Nicholson,  Waupaca  County,  Wis. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  high  and  clean;  body,  close  and  meaty;  texture,  smooth  and  silky;  color,  a  splendid 
light  amber,  clear  and  straight;  boxed  and  packed  in  excellent  shape;  cheese  arrived  in  splendid 
condition;  neatly  bandaged  and  perfectly  made;  the  finest  cheese  placed  in  storage. 


Curing 
temper- 
ature. 

Age  of 

cheese 

when  ex- 

.- 1 1 1 1  i  1 1 .  •  ■  1 . 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Commer- 
cial value 
(stand- 
ard, 13 
cents). 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard, 45). 

Texture 

(stand- 
ard, 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard, 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture 
and  body. 

Color. 

40°  F 

Months. 
t             2 

5 

1              8 

f              1 

2 

3 

I              r> 

f             1 

2 

3 

I             5 

40 
45 
45 
45 

26 
30 
30 
29 

15 
15 
15 
15 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean,  high. 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Smooth 

Silky 

Silky 

Close,  meaty. 

Curdy  

Smooth 

Silky 

Silky 

Smooth 

Loose 

Silky 

O.  K 

O.  K 
<).  K 

O.K 

O.  K 

a 

18 

13.25 
13 

50°  F 
60°F 

43 

45 
44 
42 
45 
43 
43 

28 
30 
30 
27 
30 
28 
29 

15 
15 
15 

15 
15 
15 
14 

O.K 

<).  K 
O.K 
O.K 
O.K 
O.K 

12.5 
13 

18 

12 
13 
12 
12.75 

Lot  4. — La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  not  clean;  body,  close  meaty;  color,  O.  K.;  cheese  well  made;  the  only  fault  found 
with  this  goods  was  the  objectionable  flavor,  resembling  that  resulting  from  frozen  feed. 

20-pound  daisies. 


Months. 

(            1 

30 

23 

12 

2 

34 

26 

12 

40°  F  . . . . 

3 

40 

29 

14 

5 

40 

28 

13 

8 

40 

28 

14 

f             1 

30 

24 

12 

50°  F  . . . . 

2 

35 
40 

27 
29 

12 
14 

5 

38 

27 

13 

f             1 

28 

26 

18 

60°  F  . . . . 

2 
3 

30 

38 

27 
29 

14 
14 

I             6 

35 

25 

10 

Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Low  ... 
Off,  flat 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 
Tainted 


Curdy 0.  K  . 

Waxy O.K.. 

Waxy Wavy. 

Close  ... 

Fair  .... 
Curdy  . . 
SUIT  .... 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 
Curdy  .. 
Waxy  .. 
Smooth . 
Gassy. .. 


Wavy. .. 
Wavy... 
().  ]{.... 
O.K.... 

O.  K.... 
Mottled 
().  K.... 
O.  K  . . . . 
O.  K.... 
Faded  .. 


9 
12 
10.5 


8 

11.5 
9.6 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


59 


Results  of  examinations  by  Mr.  Baer  during  progress  of  curing  cheese  in  type  I  (firm, 
export  Cheddar  type) — Continued. 

Lot  5.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  clean  but  low;  texture,  good;  color,  O.  K.;  cheese  well  made  and  of  fine  quality. 

10-pound  prints. 


Curing 
temper- 
ature. 

Age  of 
cheese 
when  ex- 
amined. 

Numerical  scores.                               Descriptivo  scores. 

Commer- 
cial value 
(stand- 
ard, 13 
cents) . 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard, 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard, 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard, 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture 
and  body. 

Color. 

Months. 

f            1 

38 
38 
■13 
42 
38 
41 
43 
40 
42 
44.5 

22 
25 
27 
27 
24 
26 
27 
25 
27 
29. 5 

15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Not  clean... 

Clean 

Clean. 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean,  high. 

Curdy 

Curdy 

Waxy 

Mealy 

Curdy 

Curdv 

Smooth 

Curdv    

Smooth 

Smooth 

0.  K 

2 
40°F          \\ 

3 

jl             8 
(             1 

O.  K 

0.  K 

O.  K 

O.  K 

10 
12 
12 

50°F 
60°F 

1   : 
(   1 

0.  K 

O.  K 

0.  K 

O.  K 

0.  K 

10.5 
12.75 

12. 75 
13 

Lot  0.— La  Crosse  Cheese  aso  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 
Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  not  clean;  body,  close, meaty;  color,  O.  K.;  cheese  well  made,  put  up  in  neat,  attractive 
form. 

20-pound  paraffined  daisies. 


Months. 

[           1 

Low 

Curdv 

O.  K 

2 

30 

22 

15 

Low 

Curdv 

O.  K...- 

0 

40°F 

3 

43.5 

29.5 

15 

Clean 

Waxy 

O.  K 

13 

5 

40 

29 

14 

Low 

Waxy 

O.  K 

12 

8 

40 

29 

12 

Off 

Waxy, open 

Mottled    ... 

11.75 

r         l 

2 

Low 

Low 

Curdv 
Ourdy  

O.  K 

©.  K 

50°  F 

33 

23 

15 

10 

3 

41 

28 

15 

Tainted 

Smooth 

O.  K 

12.25 

5 

39 

28 

14 

Low 

Waxy 

O.  K 

12 

f             1 

30 

22 

15 

Low 

Curdv 

O.  K 

9 

60°F 

2 

33 

2G 

15 

Tainted 

Salvy 

O.  K 

10.5 

3 

38 

27 

15 

Tainted  .... 

Salvv 

0.  K 

11.-0 

5 

38 

28 

13 

Tainted 

Waxy 

O.  K 

11.6 

Lot  7.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  clean  but  low;  body,  close,  meaty;  color,  O.  K.;  cheese  of  very  fine  quality. 

10-pound  paraffined  prints. 


Months. 

f            1 

38 

22 

16 

40°F 

2 

38 

25 

15 

I             8 

42 

28 

15 

50°  F 

f              1 
1             2 

38 
41 

24 
26 

15 

15 

60°  F 

(             1 
I             2 

40 
43 

25 

28 

15 
15 

Clean Curdy O.K. 

Clean Curdv O.K. 


Not    clean, 
high. 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 


Mealy O.  K. 


Mealy 
Mealy 

Mealy 
Stiff  .. 


O.  K. 
O.  K. 
O.  K. 
O.  K. 


10 
12.25 


10.5 
12. 75 


60 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Results  of  examinations  by  Mr.  Baer  during  progress  of  curing  cheese  in  type  II  {sweet- 
curd  type). 

Lot  1.— E.  G.  Hodges,  Union,  Iowa. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  clean  but  low;  sweet,  insipid  taste;  body,  slightly  loose;  texture  crumbly;  color.  O.K.; 
very  small  Swiss  holes. 


Age  of 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Commer- 

Curing 

te3;m-  whenex- 
lun-       amined. 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 

(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture 
and  body. 

Color. 

cial  value 

(standard 
13  cents). 

Months. 
f     .      1 

2 
3 
I              5 
f             1 
2 
3 
5 

2 

I              3 

Flat 

Flat 

Low.. 

Flat 

Flat 

Flat 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Flat 

Low 

Curdv 

Waxy 

Clean 

Loose 

Curdy 

Waxv 

Open 

Loose 

Curdv 

Waxy 

Open 

40°  F 

40 
43 
41 

24 

29 

27 

14 
14 

14 

Wavy 

Wavv 

Wavy 

10.5 
12.5 
11.5 

60°  F 
60°  F 

38 
43 
40 
35 
36 
40 

25 
27 
27 
22 
24 
27 

13 
13 
14 
12 
12 
12 

Wavy 

Wavv 

Wavv 

Wavy 

Wavy 

Wavv 

10.5 
12.25 
11 
9.5 
10 
11.5 

Lot  2.— J.  B.  Gilbert  &  Co.,  Sterling,  III. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor,  clean  but  low;  body,  slightly  loose;  small  Swiss  holes;  made  soft  and  moist. 


Months. 

(•            1 

.  2 

3 

I             6 

f            1 

2 

3 
5 

f  1 
2 
3 

I             5 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Flat 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Loose 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Pasty 

Open 

Pasty 

O.K 

40°  F.... 

35 
38 
37 

23 
25 
25 

15 

15 
14 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

9.5 
10 
10.5 

50°  F  . . . . 

oo°f  .... 

38 
38 
36 
35 
37 
40 
35 

25 
25 
25 
22 
22 
20 
25 

15 
15 

14 
15 
15 
15 
14 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

O.K 

10 

10 

10.5 
9.5 
9.5 

10 

10.26 

THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


61 


Results  of  examinations  by  Mr.  Baer  during  progress  of  curing  cheese  in  type  III  (soft, 

home-trade  type). 

Lot  1.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold-curing 
station:  Flavor.fair;  body,  loose,  open;  slightly  huffed;  color,  O.K.;  slightly  open  under  the  bandage; 
too  highly  acid;  packages  poor. 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Age  of 
cheese 
when  ex- 
amined. 

Numerical  scores.                              Descriptive  scores. 

Commer- 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15) . 

Flavor. 

Texture 
and  body. 

Color. 

cial  value 
(standard 
13  cents). 

Month*. 

(•            1 

2 

3 

I             •' 

f             1 

2 

3 

1              5 

f             1 

2 

3 

5 

Mealy,  acid 

O.  K 

30 
35 
35 

21 
24 
25 

14 
14 
10 

9.5 

40°  F.... 

Acidy 

Sour 

Acidv 

Acidv 

Acidv  

Sour 

Acidy 

Acidv 

Acidy 

Sour 

Sticky 
Mealy 
Mealy 
Mealy 

Pasty 

Mealy- 
Mealy  

Mealv 

Pasty 

Mealy 

O.  K 

Cut 

O.  K 

O.  K 

O.  K 

Cut 

O.  K 

O.  K 

0.  K 

Cut 

11 

9 

50°  F.... 
60°  F.... 

30 
35 
32 
31 
35 
38 
35 

23 
26 
23 
22 
25 
22 
25 

14 
14 
10 
12 
12 
14 
10 

9.5 
11 

8 

8 
10 
11 

9 

Lot  2.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold- 
curing  station:  Flavor,  fair;  body,  loose,  open;  slightly  huffed;  color,  O.  K.;  packages,  poor,  cheese 
started  to  mold. 


60°  F 


Months. 


12     Acidy 

11  j  Acidy 

12  ,  Acidy 


Acidy 
Acidy 
Acidy 


Pasty . . . 
Tallowy 
Salvy... 
Tallowy 
Salvy... 
Tallowy 


Cut 
Cut 
Cut 
Cut 
Cut 
Cut 


11 

11 

11.5 

10.5 

11.5 

10.5 


Lot  3.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 

Note. — The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold- 
curing  station:  Flavor,  low  but  clean;  body,  slightly  loose;  texture  curdy  and  short;  cheese  was  soft; 
showed  excess  of  moisture  on  the  end  surfaces;  too  highly  acid;  boxes  badly  broken  and  cheese 
moldy. 


50°  F. 


60°F. 


Months. 

1             1 

2 

33 

22 

14 

3 

38 

25 

14 

I              5 

38 

27 

12 

1 
2 

38 

23 

14 

3 

40 

25 

14 

I             5 

37 

26 

10 

f             1 
2 

38 

23 

14 

3 

40 

28 

14 

5 

1 

35 

25 

10 

Acidy 

Acidy 

Acidy 

Acidy 

Acidy 

Acidy 

Low 

Acidy 

Not  clean... 
Not  clean... 

Low 

Acidy 


Mealy O.K. 

Mealy O.K. 

Tallowy...  Wavy 
Loose. 


..  Cut.. 

Mealy O.K. 

Mealy O.K. 

Tallowy ...  O.K. 

Loose Cut.. 

Mealy O.  K  . 

Mealy O.K. 

Salvy O.K. 

Loose I  Cut. . 


10 
11 

10.5 


62 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Rendu  of  examination*  by  Mr.  Baer  during  progress  of  curing  cheese  in  t;//>e  III  {soft, 
home-trade  type )—- Continued. 

Lot  4.— A.  H.  Bakbkk  &  Co.,  Mkkkii.l.  Mich. 

Notk  —  The  following  observations  were  made  by  Mr.  Baer  upon  receipt  of  the  cheese  at  cold- 
curing  station:  Flavor,  low  bul  clean;  body,  loose;  texture,  short;  cheese  was  soft;  showed  excess  ol 
moisture  on  rinds;  boxes  badly  broken;  cheese  finite  moldy. 


Goring 

tempera- 
ture. 

Age  of 
cheese 

when  ex- 
amined. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Commer- 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor, 

Texture 
and  body. 

Color. 

cial  value 
(standard 

13  cents). 

Month*. 

1             1 
2 
3 

I             5 

f             1 
2 
3 
5 

f             1 
2 
3 

I              & 

Aciflv 

Acidy 

Low 

Low 

Acidy 

Aeidy 

Flat 

Clean 

Acidv 

Acidy 

Flat 

Short 

Wavv                   

40°F  .... 

35 
43 
40 

22 
29 
27 

14 
14 
12 

Curdy Wavy 9.5 

Waxy Wavy 12.75 

Loose Cut 10.75 

Short Wavv 

50°  F  . . . . 
60°F  .... 

38 
43 
42 
35 
38 
42 
38 

22 
26 
28 
21 
22 
26 
25 

13 
13 
12 
13 
18 
12 
12 

Short 
Short 

Loose 

Short 
Short 
Short 
Loose 

Wavy 

Wavv 

Cut 

Wavv 

Wavv 

Wavv 

Cut 

ll 

12 

11.75 
10 
11.5 

12 
10.5 

Scores  by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Second 

Jury  Trials. 

Type  I  (firm  export  Cheddar  type). 

Lot  1.— Thos.  Johnston,  Boaz,  Kichlano  County,  Wis. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

Flavor 

(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 

(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 

(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor.      Texture. 

Color. 

(stand- 
ard. 13 

cents). 

White 

43 
41 
40 

28.5 

27 

22 

13.5 

12 

10 

Clean Waxy  .. 

Low Salvy... 

Clean Past  v.. . 

Specks.. 
Mottled. 

Mottled. 

12 

40°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

12. 75 
12.26 

Average  — 
(White 

ll.;; 

25.8 

11.8 

12.  33 



Perfect  .. 

Clean 

Clean 

Silky  ... 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K.... 

45 
44 
41 

29 

28 
26 

15 
14 
14 

12.5 

60°F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

Average 

(White 

12.5 
12.75 

43.3 

27.6 

14.3 

12.58 

Clean 

Tainted  . 
Clean 

Smooth . 
Silky... 
Smooth . 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K.... 

43 

42 
42 

29 
29 
28 

14 
14 
14 

12. 25 

60°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12 
13 

Average 

42. 3 

28.6 

14 

12. 41 

THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


63 


Scores  ky  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Second 

Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  I  (Jinn  export  Cheddar  type) — Continued. 

Lot  1.— Thos.  Johnston,  Boaz,  Richland  County,  Wis. 
Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

tempera- 
ture. 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Color. 

(stand- 
ard, 13 
cents). 

40°  F 

[White 

Millar 

1 

Average 

[White 

1  Millar 

Average 

(White 

44 
43 

29 
28 

15 
15 

Clean 

Flat 

Waxy  .. 

Loose... 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

12.75 
12. 75 

43.5 

28.5 

15 

12. 75 

Bitter 

Bitter.... 

Smooth . 
Loose... 



O.  K.... 

O.  K.... 

50°  F 

40 
40 

29 

28 

15 
15 

12. 5 
12.5 

40 

28.5 

15 

12.5 

Off 

Off 

Smooth . 
Smooth . 

O.K.... 
0.  K.... 

39 
38 

29 

28 

15 
15 

12.5 

60°  F 

IMillar 

Average 

12.25 

38.5 

28.5 

15 

12. 375 



40°  F 


Lot  2.— P.  H.  Kaspek,  Nicholson,  Waupaca  County,  Wis. 

First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


White 

Kirkpatriek 
Millar 


Average . . . 


14.5 
15 

15 


(White 

Kirkpatriek 
IMillar 


Average 


(White 

Kirkpatriek 
Millar 


Average . . 


44  | 

28.6 

14.8 

11 

29.5 

14.5 

15 

28.5 

14.5 

13 

27 

15 

44  1 

28.3 

14.6 

44 

27 

14.5 

13 

27 

14 

42 

25 

14 

13 


26.3 


14.16 


Clean 

...    Waxy  .. 

O.  K.... 

Clean 

...   Silky... 

O.  K . . . . 

Clean 

...    Waxy  .. 

O.  K.... 

Clean 

...    Silky... 

O.  K.... 

Clean 

...]  Waxy  .. 

O.K.... 

Clean 

...    Loose... 

O.  K.... 

Clean 

...    Loose... 

O.  K.... 

Flat. 

...    Pasty... 

O.  K.... 

Flat 

...    Salvv... 

0.  K.... 

12.75 
12.75 
12.75 


12. 75 


12. 75 
12.5 
12. 75 


12.6 


12.5 

12 

12.25 


12.25 


Lot  2.— P.  H.  Kasper,  Nicholson,  Waupaca  County,  Wis. 
Second  jnry  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


41.5 


28 


28.5 


15     Clean 
15     Flat  . 


15     Bitter 
15     Clean 


16     sharp 
15     Clean 


Smooth.    O.  K 
Loose...    O. K 


Smooth. 
Smooth. 


O.K 
O.K 


Smooth. 
Smooth. 


O.K 
O.K 


13 
12. 12 


12.56 

13 
12. 25 


13 
12.5 


64 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Scores  by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Sbcond 

Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  I  {firm  export  Cheddar  type) — Continued. 

Lot  3.— H.  J.  Noyes,  Muscoda,  Grant  County,  Wis. 

First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Color. 

(stand- 
ard, 13 
cents). 

(White 

42 
44 
41 

28 
27 
24 

15 
15 
16 

Flat 

Clean 

Flat 

Pasty . . . 
Salvy... 

Salvy . . . 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K.... 

J2 

40°  P  . . . . 

Kirkpatrick 

12.25 
12.25 

Average 

[White 

Kirkpatrick 

42.3 

26.3 

15 

12.16 

Perfect .. 

Clean 

Clean 

Silky... 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  . . 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K.... 

60°  F  . . . . 

44.5 

45 

43 

29 

28.5 
26 

15 

15 
15 

12.75 

12.5 

12.5 

Average 

(White 

44.1 

27.8 

15 

12.58 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Silky  . . . 
Silky... 
Silky... 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K  .... 

43 
45 
43 

28.5 

29 

26 

15 
15 

15 

12.5 

60°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

(Millar 

12.5 
12.5 

1          Average 

43.6 

27.8 

15 

12.5 

Lot  3.— H.  J.  Noyes,  Muscoda,  Grant  County,  Wis. 
Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


[White 

44 
44 

29 
30 

15 
15 

Clean 

Clean 

Smooth. 
Waxy  . . 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 

13 

40°  F 

J  Millar 

13 

"■          Average 

(White 

44 

29.5 

15 

13 

Clean 

Clean 

Smooth . 
Waxy  .. 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 

44 
43 

28 
29 

15 
15 

13 

50°F 

JMillar 

12.75 

'           Average 

(White 

43.5 

28.5 

15 

12.87 

Clean 

Clean 

Waxy  .. 
Loose... 

O. K  . . . . 
O.K  .... 

44 
42 

29 
27 

15 
15 

13 

60°F 

miliar 

12  5 

*•          Average 

43 

28 

15 

12. 75 

Lot  4.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 
Firstjury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


(White 

44 
44 
42 

29 
29 
28 

14 
15 
14 

Clean 

Clean 

Tainted  . 

Waxy... 
Salvy... 
Waxy... 

O.  K.... 
O.K.... 
O.  K.... 

12  75 

40°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12.75 
12  5 

Average 

White 

43.3 

28.6 

14.3 

12.6 

Clean 

Clean — 
Tainted  . 

Waxy... 
Waxy... 
Salvy . . . 

O.  K.... 
O.K.... 
O.  K.... 

44 
44 

41 

29 

29 
27 

14 
15 
14 

12. 75 

50°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12.7") 
12  5 

Average .... 

White 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

43 

28.3 

14.3 

12.6 

Flat 

High  .... 
Tainted  . 

Smooth. 
Silky... 
Salvy . . . 

0.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

60°F  .... 

43 
43 
40 

28 
28 
26 

14 

15 
14 

12.5 
12. 25 
12 

Average 

42 

27.3 

14.3 

12.25 

THE  COLD  CURING  OF  CHEESE. 


65 


Scores  by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Second 

Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  I  (firm  export  Cheddar  type) — Continued. 

Lot  4.— La  Ckosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 

Daisies.    Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  okl). 


Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

tempera- 
ture. 

Flavor 
^stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Color. 

(stand- 
ard, 13 

cents). 

f  White 

40 
42 

28 
27 

13 
14 

Flat 
Flat 

Pasty . . . 

Loose... 

Wavy... 
O.  K.... 

12 

40°.  F 

JMillar 

12.25 

*-           Average .... 
fWhite 

41 

27.5 

18.5 

12. 12 

Flat 
Tainted  . 

Salvy... 
Salvy... 

Wavy... 
Faded  . . 

40 
40 

28 
25 

12 
13 

11.75 

50°  F 

{Millar 

12 

*■          Average 

f  White 

40 

26.5 

12.5 

11.87 

Off 

Tainted  . 

Loose... 
Salvy... 

Faded  . . 
Faded . . 

35 
35 

25 
25 

13 
13 

11 

60°F 

^Millar 

11 

*■           Average 

35 

25 

13 

11 

Lot  5.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  3i  months  old). 


AVhite 

44 
43 
42 

28 
28 
27 

14 
15 
13.5 

Clean 

Clean 

Clean 

Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
Wavy... 

12.5 

40°  F 

Kirkpatrick 

JMillar 

12.5 
12.25 

Average 

f  White 

43 

27.6 

14.1 

12.41 

Flat 

Clean 

Clean,  low 



Waxy  .. 
Waxy  . . 
Smooth . 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K.... 

43 
44 
43 

28 

28 
28 

14 
15 
14 

12.5 

50°F 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12.5 
12.5 

Average 

f  White 

43.3 

28 

14.3 

12. 5 

Flat 

Clean 

Clean 

Smooth. 
Waxy  .. 
Smooth . 

O.K.... 
O.K.... 
O.K.... 

43 
43 
42 

28 
29 

28 

14 

15 
14 

12. 5 

60°F 

Kirkpatrick 

JMillar 

12.5 
12.5 

Average 

42.6 

28.6 

14.3 

12.5 

Lot  6.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


f  White 

44 

44 
42 

29 
29 
28 

14 
15 
14.5 

Clean 

Clean 

Tainted  . 

Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

12.75 

40°  F  . . . . 

Kirkpatrick 
|  Millar 

12. 75 
12.5 

[           Average 

(  White 

43.3 

28.6 

14.53 

12.6 

Clean 

Clean.... 
Tainted  . 

Smooth. 
Waxy  .. 
Salvy... 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

44 
44 
41 

29 

29 
28 

14 
15 
14.5 

12. 75 

50°F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12. 75 
12. 5 

Average 

White 

43 

28.6 

14.5 

12.6 

Flat 

Tainted  . 
Tainted  . 

Smooth. 
Pasty . . . 
Salvy . . . 

O.  K.... 
0.  K.... 
0.  K.... 

43 
41 

40 

28 
28 
27 

14 
15 
14 

12.5 

60°  F  . . . . 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12 
12.26 

Average 

41.3 

27.6 

14.3 

12. 25 

4189— No.  49—03- 


66 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Scores  by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Second 

Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  I  {firm  export  Cheddar  type) — Continued. 

Lot  6.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Better  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  Cch'nty,  Wis. 

Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Color. 

i  stand- 
ard, 13 
cents). 

(White 

43 

40 

26 

28 

11 
11 

Flat 
Low 

Smooth . 
Salvy... 

().  K.... 
Wavy  .. 

12  5 

40°F  .... 

JMillar '.. 

'        .   Average 

fWhite 

]  Millar 

*•          Average 

fWhite 

JMillar 

*          Average 

12 

41.5 

27 

12  •'•'> 

Flat  . 
Low 

Waxy  .. 

Salvy  ... 

Specks  . 
Wavy  .. 

50°F  .... 

42 
39 

26 
27 

12 
13 

12 

11.75 

40.5 

26. 5 

11  87 

Flat 
Low    ,    , 

Smooth. 
Loose... 

Wavy  .. 
Wavy  .. 

60°F  .... 

41 

38 

25 
26 

10 
13 

11. 75 
11.5 

39.5 

25.5 

11.5 

11.62 

Lot  7.— La  Crosse  Cheese  and  Butter  Co.,  La  Crosse,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old) . 


White 

44 

29 

u 

Clean... 

Waxy  .. 

O. 

K.... 

12.75 

Kirkpatrick 

43 

28 

15 

Clean... 

Waxv  .. 

o. 

K.... 

12.5 

Millar 

Average 

[White 

43 

28 

14 

Clean... 

Smooth. 

(). 

k\... 

12.78 

43.3 

28.3 

14.3 

12.6 

Flat  .... 

Smooth. 

<>. 

K . . . . 

43 

29 

14 

12.75 

Kirkpatrick 

44 

28 

15 

Clean... 

Waxv  .. 

«). 

K  . . . . 

12. 75 

50°F 

Millar 

Average 

White 

43 

29 

14 

Clean. . . 

Waxy  .. 


<). 

K.... 

12.75 

43.3 

28. 6 

14.3 

12.  75 

Clean... 

Waxy  .. 

(). 

K.... 

44 

29 

14 

12.75 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

Average 

43 

43 

29 
28 

15 
11 

Clean... 
Clean... 

Waxy  .. 

Smooth. 

0. 
0. 

K.... 
K  . . . . 

12.5 

12. 75 

43.3 

28.6 

14.3 

12.6 

THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


67 


Scores  by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Second 

Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  II  (sweet-curd  type). 

Lot  1.— E.  G.  Hodges,  Union,  Iowa. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  S  months  old). 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor.     Texture. 

Color. 

(stand- 
ard, 13 
cents). 

[White 

43 
43 
42 

28 

27 

"  28 

13 
14 
13 

Flat Stiff 

Wavy... 
0.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

12.25 

40°F  .... 

Kirkpatriek 

Millar 

Clean 

Clean 

Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

12 
12.5 

Average 

(White 

42.6 

27.6 

13.6 

12.25 

Flat 

Clean 

Clean 

Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

Wavy. . . 
Wavy... 
Wavy... 

43 
43 
42 

26 

27 
27 

13 
13 
13 

12 

50°  F  .... 

Kirkpatriek 

12 
12.5 

Average 

White 

42.6 

26.6 

13 

12. 16 

Flat 

Clean 

Clean 

Stiff  .... 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

Wavy... 
Wavy... 
Wavy... 

43 
43 
42 

28 
28 
28 

13 

13.5 

13 

12.25 

60°F  .... 

Kirkpatriek 

12.5 
12.6 

Average 

42.6 

28 

13.16 

12.4 

Lot  l.— E.  G.  Hodges,  Union,  Iowa. 
Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


(White 

43 

40 

25 
27 

12 
14 

Low 

Low 

Mealy  . . 
Salvy . . . 

Wavy. . . 
Dull.... 

12 

40°F  .... 

miliar 

12 

Average 

(White 

41.5  j 

26 

13 

12 

Off 

Low 

Loose... 
Weak... 

Wavy... 
Dull.... 

41 

38 

25 
25 

12 
14 

11.5 

50°  F  . . . . 

JMillar 

11.5 

Average 

39.5 

25 

13 

11.5 

Lot  2.— J.  B.  Gilbert  &  Co.,  Sterling,  III. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  S  months  old). 


White 

Kirkpatriek  . . 
Millar 

Average 

White 

Kirkpatriek  .. 
Millar 

Average 

White 

Kirkpatriek  . . 
Millar 

Average 


40.6  ! 

25.6 

14.3 

40 

25 

14 

40 

25 

14 

40 

25 

14 

40 

25 

14 

40 

25 

14 

41 

26 

14 

39 

23 

14 

40 


24.6 


Low 
Low 
Low 

Pasty . . . 
Loose... 
Pasty . . . 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

Low 
Low 
Low 

Pasty . . . 
Salvy... 
Pasty . . . 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
0.  K.... 

Flat 
Low 
Low 

Pasty . . . 
Pasty . . . 
Pasty . . . 

0.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
0.  K.... 

68 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL   INDUSTRY. 


Scores  by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Bboond 

Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  II  {sweet-curd  type) — Continued. 

Lot  2.— J.  B.  Gilbert  &  Co.,  Sterling,  III. 

Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45) . 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15) . 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

dolor. 

(stand- 
ard,  18 
cents). 

39 
38 

24 

25 

13 

14 

Low 
Low 

Salvy... 
Salvy . . . 

Wavy... 
O.K  .... 

11 

40°  P  .... 

JMillar 

11 

1          Average .... 
(White 

38.6 

24.5 

13.5 

11 

Low 

Low 

Pasty . . . 
Loose... 

Wavy... 
O.K.... 

39 
39 

25 

26 

13 
14 

11.25 

60°F  .... 

1  Millar '. 

11 

1          Average 

/White 

39 

25.5 

11.12 

Bitter 

Low 

Salvy... 
Loose . . . 

Wavy... 
O.K  .... 

38 
40     • 

24 
26 

13 
14 

11 

60°F  .... 

JMillar 

11 

1          Average 

39 

25 

13.5 

11 

Type  III  (soft  home-trade  type) . 
Lot  1.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 

First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 
(standard 
13  cents). 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 40). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Color. 

(White 

38 
41 
40 

25 
28 
25 

13 
13 
13 

Tainted  . 
Acidy  ... 
Tainted  . 

Salvy... 
Tasty  ... 
Salvy... 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

11.75 

40°F 

Kirkpatrick 

12 
12 

Average . . . 

39.6 

26 

13 

11.9 

Tainted  . 
Acidy  ... 
Tainted  . 

Salvy... 
Pasty ... 
Salvy . . . 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
o.  K.... 

fWhite 

Kirkpatrick 

38 
43 
41 

25 
29 
26 

13 
13 
13 

11.75 

12.5 

12.25 

Average . . . 
White 

40.6 

26.6 

13 

12.16 

Tainted  . 
Acidy  ... 
Low 

Salvy... 
Waxy  .. 

Pasty  ... 

O.  K.... 
().  K.... 
O.  K.... 

40 
42 
41 

26 
27 
25 

13 
13 
13 

12 

Kirkpatrick 

12.25 
12.26 

Average . . . 

41 

26 

13 

12.16 

Lot  1.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 

Second  jura  trial  (cheese  ,r>  months  old  i. 


(White 

40 
32 

25 
27 

10 
12 

Off 

Acidy  ... 

Mealy  . . 
Pasty... 

Cut 

Cut 

11.5 

40°F 

JMillar 

11.75 

1          Average 

.White 

36 

26 

11 

11.62 

Tainted  . 
Acidy  ... 

Tallowy 
Salvy... 

Cut 
Cut 

40 
33 

25 

28 

10 
13 

11.5 

60°  F 

JMillar 

12 

1          Average 

(White 

36.5 

26.5 

11.5 

11.75 

Off 

Acidy  . . . 

Tallowy 
Pasty . . . 

Cut 

Cut   , 

39 
35 

25 
28 

10 
12 

11.25 

60°F 

JMillar 

12 

1          Average 

37 

26.5 

11 

11.62 

THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


69 


Scores 


by  Individual  Judges  at  the  Commercial  Test  Made  at  First  and  Second 
Jury  Trials — Continued. 

Type  III  (soft  home-trade  type) — Continued. 

Lot  2. — A.  H.  Barbek  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 

First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Price 
(standard 
13  cents). 

tempera- 
ture. 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 45.) 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard^). 

Color 
(stand- 
ard 15) . 

Flavor.      Texture. 

Color. 

40°  F 

(White 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

Average 

fWhite 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

Average 

(White 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

Average 

40 
42 
40 

26 
28 

25 

12 
12 
13 

Acidy  ... 
Flat 
Acidy  ... 

Salvy . . . 
Pasty . . . 
Pasty . . . 

Wavy... 
Wavy... 
Mottled 

11.5 
11.5 
12.25 

40.6 

26.3 

12.5 

11.75 

Acidy  ... 

Clean 

Acidy  ... 

Pasty... 
Waxy  .. 
Waxy  .. 

O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

50°F 

40 
43 
42 

27 
29 

27 

13 
13 
14 

11.75 

12 

12.5 

41.6 

27.6 

13.3 

12.08 

Acidy  ... 
Tainted  . 
Acidy  ... 

Pasty... 

Salvy... 
Tallowy 

Wavy... 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

60°F 

40 
40 
40 

27 
28 
25 

12 
13 
13 

11.75 
11. 25 
12 

40 

26.6 

12.6 

12 

Lot  2.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 
Second  jury  trial  (cheese  5  months  old). 


40°  F 


50°  F  . . . . 


(White 
I  Millar 


Average . . 


26 


10     Acidy 
12     Acidy 


(White 
Millar 


10     Acidy 
12     Acidy 


Average  . 


(White 
Millar  . 


Average 


10     Acidy 
12     Acidy 


25.5 


Tallowy    Cut. 
Tallowy    Cut. 


Tallowy    Cut. 
Tallowy    Cut . 


Tallowy    Cut. 
Tallowy    Cut. 


Lot  3. — A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  3  months  old). 


White 

40 
41 
40 

27 
28 
27 

12 
13 
14 

Acidy  ... 
Acidy  ... 
Acidy  ... 

Close  ... 
Tallowy 
Tallowy 

Wavy... 

Cut 

O.  K.... 

11 

40°F 1 

Kirkpatrick 

11.5 
11.6 

Average 

fWhite 

40.3 

27.3 

13 

11.3 

Low 

Clean.... 
Acidy  ... 

Smooth. 
Tallowy 
Smooth. 

Wavy.'.. 
O.  K.... 
O.  K.... 

42 
43 
42 

28 

28 
28 

13 
13 
14 

12 

Kirkpatrick 

12 
12 

Average 

fWhite 

42.6 

28 

13.3 

12 

Bitter 

Clean 

Acidy  ... 

Salvy . . . 

40 
42 
39 

27 
27 
25 

12 
13 
14 

11.5 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

Loose... 
Pasty . . . 

O.  K.... 
,0.  K.... 

11.75 
11.25 

Average 

40.3 

26.3 

13 

11.5 

70 


BUREAU  OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY. 


Scores  by  Individual  Jimmies  w rax  Commercial  Test  Madk  at  First  and  Skcond 

J  cry  Trials — Continued. 

Type  III  (sii/t  home-trade  tfpe) — Continued. 

Lot  3.— A.  H.  Barber  it  Co..  Merrill.  Mini. 

Second  jnrii  trial  (ektne  ~<  swntt*  ui<i\. 


Curing 
tempera- 
ture. 

Judges. 

Numerical  scores. 

Descriptive  scores. 

Mm 

l  standard 
13  cents). 

Flavor 
(stand- 
ard 4,5). 

Texture 
(stand- 
ard 30). 

Color 
'stand- 
ard 15). 

Flavor. 

Texture. 

Color. 

40°  F 

(White 

JMillar 

Average 

(White 

1  Millar 

Average 

(White 

1  Millar 

Average 

40 
36 

2t; 

28 

14 
12 

Tainted  . 
Tainted  . 

Smooth . 
Loose... 

O.  K.... 

().  K.... 

LL5 

11 

38 

27 

13 

11.25 

Tainted  . 
Tainted  . 

Smooth . 
Loose. .. 

Wavy... 
O.  K  . . . . 

50°F 

39 

40 

25 

26 

10 
12 

11.25 

11.5 

39.5 

25.5 

11 

11.37 

Tainted  . 
Tainted  . 

Smooth . 
Loose... 

Specks.. 
().  K\... 

60°F 

39 

38 

25 
27 

13 
12 

11.5 
11.25 

38.5 

26 

12. 5 

11.37 

Lot  4.— A.  H.  Barbkr  &  Co.,  Merrill.  Mich. 
First  jury  trial  (cheese  S  months  old). 


White 

42 

12 
42 

27 
29 
28 

13 
14 

14 

Flat 

Clean 

Low 

Stiff  .... 
... 
Waxy  .. 

Waxy  .. 

Wavy... 
O.  K..   . 
0.  K.... 

12 

40°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

1 2.5 
12.5 

Average 

rwhitc 

42 

28 

13.6 

12.3 

Flat 

Clean.... 
Low 

Mealy  .. 
Pasty... 
Pasty... 

Wavy . . . 
0.  K.... 
Wavy... 

40 
42 
41 

25 
29 
26 

13 
13 

12 

11.25 

50°  F  .... 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12 

12 

Average 

White 

41 

26.6 

12. 6 

1 1 .  75 

Flat 

Clean 

Flat 

Mealy  .. 
Mealy  .. 
Pasty... 

Cnt 

Wavy... 

Wavy... 

41 
43 
42 

26 

28 
27 

12 
13 
13 

11  5 

60°  F  ....J 

Kirkpatrick 

Millar 

12.25 

1"  25 

Average 

42 

•       27 

12.6 

12 

Lot  4.— A.  H.  Barber  &  Co.,  Merrill,  Mich. 
Second  jury  trial  (cheue  6  months  old). 


1  fWhite 

43 
43 

26 

28 

10 

14 

Flat 
Clean.... 

Mealy  . . 
Smooth. 

Cut 

Cut 

12.25 

40°  F  .. 

MWftT 

12.25 

Average 

[(White 

a 

27 

12 

12. 25 

Flat 
Flat 

Smooth. 
Smooth. 

Cut 

Cut 

43 
42 

27 

28 

11 

12.5 

50°F  .. 

..MMillar 

12 

Average 

(White 

42.5 

27.5 

12  25 

Flat 
Acidy  ... 

Mealy  . . 
Pasty... 

Wavy... 

Cut . 

41 
40 

25 
25 

9 
13 

11.75 

60°F  .. 

..  JMillar 

11.75 

li 

Average 

1 

40.5 

25 

11 

11.75 

EASTERN  EXPERIMENTS,  1902-03. 

Conducted  by  L.  L.  Van  Slyke,  G.  A.  Smith,  and  E.  B.  Hart, 

Of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

SUMMARY. 

(1)  Object  of  experiment. — The  investigation  was  undertaken  by  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  in  cooperation  with  this 
station,  its  object  being  to  study,  on  a  commercial  scale  under  com- 
mercial conditions,  the  influence  of  different  temperatures  upon  the 
cheese  during  the  curing  process. 

(2)  Plan  of  experiment. — Cheese  was  secured  which  represented  the 
product  of  the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio,  and 
placed  in  cold  storage  at  the  temperatures  of  40°,  50°,  and  60°  F. 
These  were  examined  commercially  by  a  committee  of  experts  when 
first  placed  in  cold  storage,  and  later  after  being  in  cold  storage  ten, 
twenty,  twenty-eight,  and  thirty-five  weeks.  Cheeses  of  different 
sizes  were  used,  weighing  70,  65,  45,  35,  and  12£  pounds.  Also,  in 
one  case,  cheeses  were  covered  with  a  coating  of  paraffin.  Chemical 
analyses  were  made  at  intervals. 

(3)  Loss  of  weight. — The  loss  of  weight  increased  with  increase  of 
temperature,  being  on  an  average  in  twenty  weeks  3.8  pounds  per  100 
pounds  of  cheese  at  40°  F.,  4.8  pounds  at  50°  F.,  and  7.8  pounds  at 
60°  F.  The  large-sized  cheeses  lost  less  weight  per  100  pounds  than 
those  of  smaller  size. 

(4)  Results  of  scoring  cheese. — Cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  was  superior 
in  qualit\T  to  the  same  kind  cured  at  higher  temperatures.  That 
cured  at  50°  F.  was  superior  in  quality  to  that  cured  at  60°  F.  The 
general  averages  of  the  scores  at  the  end  of  twenty  weeks  were  as 
follows:  95.7  at  40°  F.,  94.2  at  50°  F.,  and  91.7  at  60°  F.  The  differ- 
ence in  quality  was  confined  in  most  cases  to  flavor  and  texture,  the 
color  and  finish  being  little  or  not  at  all  affected  in  cheese  that  was  in 
good  condition  at  the  beginning. 

(5)  Effects  of  covering  cheese  with  paraffin. — The  commercial  qualities 
of  cheese  were  favorably  influenced  after  six  months  in  the  case  of  that 
covered  with  paraffin,  especially  in  flavor.  The  loss  of  moisture  was 
greatly  lessened,  amounting  only  to  a  fraction  of  a  pound  for  100 
pounds  of  cheese  at  40°  F.  and  50°  F.,  and  being  onh'  about  one-fifth 
the  average  loss  found  at  60c  F.  with  cheese  not  so  treated.  The 
cheeses  were  also  perfectly  clean  and  free  from  mold,  while  all  the 
cheeses  not  treated  with  paraffin  were  covered  with  mold. 

71 


72  BUREAU  OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY. 

(6)  Results  of  ehemdeal  analysis. — The  amount  of  certain  water- 
soluble  nitrogen  compounds  in  cheese,  such  as  caseoses,  peptones, 
amides,  and  ammonia,  is  used  as  a  means  for  measuring  chemically 
the  degree  of  ripeness  in  cheese.  The  amount  of  water-soluble  nitro- 
gen compounds  increases  with  the  age  of  cheese  and  with  the  tem- 
perature at  which  the  cheese  is  cured. 

(7)  Some  practical  applications. — Curing  cheese  at  low  temperatures 
increases  the  amount  of  cheese  to  sell  by  preventing  loss  of  moisture, 
and-  covering  cheese  with  paraffin  increases  still  more  the  yield  of 
marketable  cheese.  This  saving  amounts  to  several  dollars  a  ton. 
Also,  the  improved  quality'  of  cheese  cured  at  low  temperatures  gives 
such  cheese  a  higher  market  price. 

REPORT   OF    RESULTS   OF   CURING    CHEESE    IN    COLD    STORAGE. 

# 

INTRODUCTION. 

On  the  part  of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at 
Geneva,  the  work  of  selecting  cheese,  sampling,  and  supervision  was 
performed  by  George  A.  Smith,  dairy  expert,  and  L.  L.  Van  Slyke, 
chemist  of  the  station;  E.  B.  Hart  assisted  in  the  chemical  work. 
The  New  York  Mercantile  Exchange  was  requested  to  designate  com- 
petent persons  to  judge  the  cheese  upon  a  commercial  basis,  and,  the 
subject  being  referred  to  the  cheese  committee  of  the  exchange,  the 
following  members  were  named  as  trade  experts  for  this  service:  C. 
S.  Martin,  representing  the  oldest  and  largest  cheese  house  in  New 
York;  F.  B.  Swift,  representing  one  of  the  largest  cheese-exporting 
firms  in  Montreal  and  New  York,  and  D.  W.  Whitmore,  head  of  a 
well-known  firm.  On  the  part  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
B.  F.  Van  Valkenburgh,  dairy  inspector,  gave  immediate  personal 
supervision. 

The  cheese  was  cured  in  New  YTork  City  and  examined  and  scored 
there,  from  time  to  time,  without  removal  from  cold  storage. 

The  plan  of  the  experiment  was  to  secure  cheese  representing  the 
States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio,  to  place  this  in  cold 
storage  at  different  temperatures,  to  have  commercial  examinations 
made  from  time  to  time  by  a  committee  of  chosen  experts,  to  weigh 
the  cheese  at  intervals,  and  to  make  chemical  analyses  of  it.  The 
object  of  this  work  was  to  study  during  the  curing  process  the  effect 
of  different  temperatures  and  the  effect  of  covering  cheese  with  par- 
affin upon  (1)  the  commercial  quality  of  the  cheese,  (2)  the  loss  of 
weight,  and  (3)  the  chemical  changes  taking  place. 

DESCRIPTION   OF   SOURCES    AND    CHARACTER    OF    DIFFERENT    LOTS    (IK    CHEESE    USED  IN  THE 

EXPERIMENT. 

The  arrangements  for  canning  on  the  experiment  were  not  com- 
pleted until  the  latter  part  of  September,  when  it  was  somewhat  diffi- 
cult to  secure  large-sized  cheeses,  because  most  of  the  factories  were 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  73 

making  only  the  small  hoine-trade  size.  We  were  able,  however,  to 
get  the  makers  in  two  cases  to  make  the  large-sized  cheeses  for  this 
special  work,  but  the}T  were  not  of  the  best  quality  in  every  respect. 

Lot  I  comprised  21  cheeses,  averaging  64  pounds  in  weight,  made 
by  A.  B.  Hargrave  at  Heuvelton,  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.  These 
were  made  from  the  mixed  milk  of  September  26,  which  contained  3.8 
per  cent  of  fat.  The  milk  was  ripened  to  4£  spaces  by  the  Marschall 
rennet  test  at  a  temperature  of  86°  F.  Rennet  extract  was  used  at 
the  rate  of  2£  ounces  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk.  The  milk  began  to 
thicken  in  fifteen  minutes.  The  curd  was  heated  to  98°  F.  in  forty- 
five  minutes.  One  hour  and  twenty  minutes  later  the  curd  showed 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  of  fine  threads  by  the  hot-iron  test,  when  the 
whey  was  removed.  The  curd  was  then  packed,  drained,  and  kept  for 
three  hours,  after  which  it  was  milled,  salted  at  the  rate  of  2  pounds 
for  1,000  pounds  of  milk,  cooled  to  80°  F.,  and  put  in  press. 

This  lot  of  cheese  was  shipped  to  New  York  on  September  30  and 
placed  in  cold  storage  on  October  6. 

Lot  II  comprised  10  boxes  of  cheese,  made  by  J.  E.  Case  at  Turtle- 
point,  Pa. ,  during  the  third  week  in  September.  The3T  averaged  45 
pounds  in  weight.  It  was  found  impossible  to  get  a  special  lot  of  cheese 
made  in  Pennsylvania  for  this  work,  and  so  it  was  decided  to  take  some 
already  made.  These  cheeses  were  therefore  older  when  put  into  cold 
storage,  and  did  not  get  the  full  benefit  of  ripening  at  lower  tempera- 
tures. In  making  the  cheese,  a  starter  of  lactic  ferment  was  used  and 
the  milk  ripened  to  about  5  spaces  by  the  Marschall  test  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  86  F.  Rennet  extract  was  used  at  the  rate  of  2£  ounces  for 
1,000  pounds  of  milk,  and  the  curd  was  cut  in  about  forty -five  min- 
utes. The  subsequent  heating  was  carried  to  about  1()0°  F.  The 
whey  was  removed  as  soon  as  the  curd  strung  on  a  hot  iron.  After 
milling,  the  curd  was  allowed  to  stand  about  half  an  hour  before  salt- 
ing, with  frequent  stirring,  and  then  cooled  to  90°  F.  Salt  was  added 
at  the  rate  of  2£  pounds  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk  used. 

This  lot  of  cheese  was  placed  in  cold  storage  on  October  6. 

Lot  III  consisted  of  44  cheeses,  averaging  in  weight  about  34  pounds. 
They  were  made  b\r  J.  H.  Searl  at  Lowville,  Lewis  Count}7,  N.  Y.,  from 
the  mixed  night  and  morning  milk  of  September  26.  Half  were  uncol- 
ored  (A)  and  half  were  colored  (B).  The  milk  contained  4  per  cent  of 
fat  and  12.6  per  cent  of  solids.  The  milk  was  ripened  to  3£  spaces  by 
the  Marschall  test  at  84°  F.  Rennet  extract  was  used  at  the  rate  of  2£ 
ounces  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk.  The  curd  was  cut  in  twenty-five 
minutes,  and  fifteen  minutes  later  heat  was  applied,  the  temperatuiv 
of  98°  F.  being  reached  in  fifty  minutes.  Forty  minutes  later  the 
whe}T  was  removed,  as  the  curd  showed  one-eighth  of  an  inch  of  string 
by  the  hot-iron  test.  After  packing  and  draining  in  the  usual  way 
the  curd  was  milled  about  four  hours  after  the  removal  of  whey. 
Salt  was  added  at  the  rate  of  2  pounds  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk  used, 
and  the  curd  was  cooled  to  80°  F.  and  then  put  in  press. 


74  BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 

This  lot  of  cheese  was  shipped  to  New  York  October  1  and  placed 
in  cold  storage  October  7. 

Lot  IV  consisted  of  two  different  sizes  of  cheeses,  made  by  C.  S. 
Alger  at  Martinsburg,  Lewis  County,  N.  Y.  There  were  20  coloivd 
cheeses  (A),  each  weighing  about  65  pounds,  and  2H  cheeses  of  so-called 
Stilton  size1  or  style  (B),  each  weighing  about  12£  pounds.  (These  are 
ordinarily  known  in  market  as  "Young  Americas.1'')  The  cheese  was 
made  from  mixed  milk  of  September  29,  containing  4  per  cent  of  fat  and 
12.6  per  cent  of  solids.     The  conditions  of  manufacture  were  normal. 

Phis  lot  of  cheese  was  shipped  on  October  3  and  placed  in  cold  stor- 
age October  8.    - 

Lot  V  comprised  34  cheeses,  made  by  EL  S.  Rice  at  Triumph,  Ohio, 
each  averaging  in  weight  about  36£  pounds.  Rennet  extract  was 
added  at  the  rate  of  3  ounces  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk  at  86°  F.  The 
curd  was  cut  in  thirty  minutes  and  then  heated  to  104u  F.  in  about 
thirty  minutes,  the  whey  being  drawn  an  hour  and  a  half  later.  Salt 
was  added  at  rate  of  2£  pounds  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk  used. 

This  lot  was  shipped  October  7  and  placed  in  cold  storage  October 
13,  1902. 

Lot  VI  consisted  of  40  cheeses,  each  cheese  weighing  about  70 
pounds.  It  was  not  at  first  intended  to  include  a  comparative  trial 
between  cheese  in  natural  form  and  coated  with  paraffin  (according  to 
the  increasing  commercial  practice),  and  no  cheese  was  purchased  by 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  this  purpose.  But  at  the  request 
of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and  through  the 
liberal  cooperation  of  Messrs.  Martin  &  Co.,  this  was  accomplished. 
Martin  &  Co.  furnished  this  lot  of  cheese  at  their  own  expense  and 
risk,  but  they  were  added  to  the  five  purchased  lots,  divided  among 
the  three  curing  rooms,  as  later  recorded,  and  subjected  to  the  same 
conditions  and  examinations  as  the  rest.  The  cheese  contained  in  this 
lot  represented  two  different  dates  of  manufacture  one  week  apart — - 
October  10  (A)  and  October  17  (B). 

This  lot  of  cheese  was  made  by  H.  Petrie  at  Turin,  Lewis  County, 
N.  Y.  The  milk,  of  good  quality  in  every  respect,  was  warmed  to 
86°  F.  and  a  carefully  prepared  sour-milk  starter  added.  It  was  then 
ripened  to  about  4  spaces  by  the  Marschall  test.  Rennet  extract  was 
added  at  the  rate  of  2£  ounces  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk.  In  twenh-five 
to  thirty  minutes  the  curd  was  cut,  the  cutting  being  somewhat  fine, 
after  which  careful  stirring  was  begun  and  continued  until  the  pieces 
of  curd  were  well  separated  and  beginning  to  shrink.  Heat  was  then 
applied,  the  temperature  of  98°  F.  being  reached  in  about  forty-five 
minutes.  Stirring  was  continued  until  the  curd  strung  on  the  hot  iron 
one-eighth  of  an  inch,  when  the  whey  was  removed.  The  curd  was  then 
matted,  cut  into  pieces  about  3  by  6  by  0  inches,  and  turned  at  inter- 
vals of  six  or  eight  minutes  until  the  curd  was  well  drained  and  solid. 
The  curd  was  then  piled  until  it  acquired  a  smooth,  velvety  feeling, 
after  which  it  was  milled,  spread  out,  stirred,  and  cooled  until  fat 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


75 


started  from  it  when  squeezed  in  the  hand.  It  was  then  salted  at  the 
rate  of  2  pounds  for  1,000  pounds  of  milk  used,  and  finally  put  in 
press.  Light  pressure  was  applied  at  first — just  enough  to  make  the 
curd  hold  together  in  the  form  of  the  mold.  At  the  end  of  one  hour 
the  cheeses  were  removed  from  the  hoops,  the  cloths  and  outside  of 
the  cheeses  rinsed  with  warm  water,  replaced  in  press,  and  pressure 
applied  for  eighteen  hours. 

This  lot  was  placed  in  cold  storage  October  24,  half  of  the  number 
being  covered  with  paraffin  (Ap  and  Bp)  and  half  being  in  natural 
condition  (An  and  Bn). 


LENGTH    OF    EXPERIMENT. 


In  February  the  cheese  stored  at  60°  F.  was  removed  and  sold.  In 
April  the  cheese  .stored  at  50°  F.  was  placed  on  the  market,  and  also 
most  of  the  cheese  kept  at  40°  F.  Some  of  the  cheese  that  had  been 
held  at  40°  F.  was  retained  and  kept  until  June  1,  when  it  was  sold, 
except  some  that  was  kept  and  placed  at  a  temperature  of  32°  F.  for 
further  work. 

DISTRIBUTION    OF   CHEESES    IN    COLD   STORAGE. 

Arrangements  were  made  with  the  Merchants'  Refrigerating  Com- 
pany of  Mew  York  City  to  provide  special  rooms  and  take  care  of  these 
different  lots  of  cheese.  Rooms  were  provided  in  which  the  tempera- 
tures could  be  controlled  and  kept  at  4<>  F.,  50°  F.,  and  60°  F.  Auto- 
matic records  were  arranged  in  each  room,  showing  the  condition  of 
the  temperature  continuously.  The  regulation  of  temperatures  was 
remarkatny  well  done;  the  variations  from  the  desired  point,  for  the 
entire  period  of  storage,  did  not  exceed  2°  for  the  60°  room  or  1° 
for  the  other  rooms.  It  was  an  exceptionally  good  piece  of  work  fn 
maintaining  even  temperatures  for  thirty  or  forty  successive  weeks. 

The  different  lots  of  cheese  were  distributed  in  the  different  tem- 
peratures in  the  manner  indicated  by  the  following  table: 

Distribution  of  cheese  at  different  temperatures. 


Lot. 

Number  and  weight 
of  cheeses  lit  40°  F. 

Number  and  weight 
of  cheeses  at  50°  F. 

Number  and  weight 
of  cheeses  at  60°  F. 

I 

Number. 

10 
18 
11 
11 
9 
16 
19 

: 

6 

Pound*. 
645 
811 
378 
371 
585 
197 
096 
358 
356 
352 
358 

Number. 
6 
12 
6 

: 

8 

8 
3 
3 

Pounds. 
384 

Number. 
5 

Pounds. 
325 

II 

535               10 
207                  5 
204                  5 
387                  5 
99                  4 
290                  7 

211  2 

212  2 

448 

(White 

170 

1IIlColored 

171 

329 

IVjstiltons 

50 

V 

256 

fAn 

143 

jAp 

142 

VI  Bn 

IBp 

3 

•20.H                    2 

138 

76 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    UDUSTRY. 


LOSS    OF    WEKiHT. 


The  following  table  gives  the  weights  of  the  cheese  kept  at  the  dif- 
ferent temperatures  and  the  percentages  of  loss  at  the  several  dates 
stated : 

Weights  of  cheese  and  percentages  of  loss  at  different  temperatures. 


Lot  and  description. 

Date  of 
weigh- 
ing. 

Room  at  40°  F. 

Room  *t  50°  F. 

Room  at  60°  F. 

Weight. 

Loss. 

Weight. 

1*968. 

Weight. 

Loss. 

[Oct.     6 
I  Feb.  13 
[Apr.  10 
IJune    1 
[Oct.     7 
JFeb.  13 
[Apr.   10 
[June    1 
[Oct.     7 
J  Feb.   13 
Upr.   10 
[Oct.      7 
JFeb.  13 
[Apr.   10 
(June    1 
[Oct.     8 
JFeb.  13 
[Apr.   10 
(June    1 
Oct.     8 
Feb.  13 
Apr.   10 
June    1 
[Oct.    13 
JFeb.  13 
[Apr.   10 
(June    1 
[Oct.    24 
JFeb.  13 
[Apr.   10 
[june    1 
[Oct.    24 
JFeb.  13 
JApr.  10 
[June    1 
[Oct.    24 
JFeb.   13 
[Apr.   10 
(June    i 
[Oct.    24 
JFeb.  13 
[Apr.  10 
[June    l 

Pounds. 
645 
616 
611 
600 
811 
789 
783 
774 
378 
362 
357 
371 
360 
355 
348 
585 
.559 
554 
545 
197 
188 
184 
179 
696 
664 
658 
646 
358 
349 
346.7 
342 
356 
355 
354 
352.  8 
352 
340 
336.5 
333.2 
358 
357 
356.6 
355.4 

Per  cent. 

Point  (Ik. 
384 
367 
361 

Per  cent. 

Pounds. 
325 
303 

Per  cent. 

I  (New  York  export  Cheddars) 

4.5 
5.3 
7.0 

4.4 
6.0 

6.8 

535 
515 
511 

448 
425 

II  (Pennsylvania  Cheddars)  .. 

2.7 
3.5 
4.5 

3.7 
4.5 

1 

207 
195 
192 
204 
193 
189 

170 
155 

Ill  A  (white) 

4.2 
5.6 

5.8 
7.2 

8.8 

171 
157 



IIIB  (colored) 

3.0 
4.3 
6.2 

5.4 
7.4 

8.2 

387 
366 
365 

329 
305 

IV  A  (large) 

4.4 
5.3 

6.8 

5.4 

5.7 

7.3 

99 
91 

88 

60 
44 

IV  B   (Stiltons,  or    Young 

4.6 
6.6 
9.1 

8.1 
11.1 

12.0 

290 
271 
266 

356 
233 

V  (Ohio  flats) 

4.6 
5.5 
7.2 

6.6 
8.8 

9.0 

211 
200 
202.7 

143 
137 

VI  An   (Export  Cheddars, 

2.5 
3.1 
4.5 

2.4 
4.0 

4.2 

212 

211 
210 

142 
140 

VI  Ap  (Same,  paraffined) 

0.3 
0.6 
0.9 

0.5 
0.9 

1.4 

VI  Bn  (New  York  Cheddars, 
without  paraffin ) 

3.4 
4.4 
5.3 

208 
207 
207 

138 
136 

VI  Bp  (Same,  paraffined ) 

0.3 
0.4 
0.7 

0.5 
0.5 

1.5 

THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


77 


Showing  weight  lost  by  cheese. 


Lot. 


Average 
weight 
of  each 
cheese. 


Age  when 
placed  ! 
in  cold 
storage. 


I 

I 

I 

II.... 
II ... . 
II ... . 
Ill  A. 

III  A. 
IIIB. 
IIIB. 
IIIB. 

IV  A. 
IV  A. 
IV  A. 
IV  B. 
IV  B. 

IV  B. 

V  .... 

V  .... 

V  .... 
VI  An 
VI  An 
VI  An 
VI  Ap 
VI  Ap 
VI  Ap 
VI  Bn 
VI  Bn 
VI  Bn 
VI  Bp 
VI  Bp 
VI  Bp 


Pounds. 
64 
64 
64 
45 
45 
45 
34 
34 
34 
34 
34 
65 
65 
65 
12.5 
32.5 
12. 5 
36.5 
36.5 
36.5 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 
70 


Days. 


Age 

when 

weighed. 


Weeks. 
20 
28 
35 
20 
28 
35 
20 
28 
20 
28 
35 
20 
28 
35 
20 
28 
35 
19 
27 
34 
17 
25 
32 
17 
25 
32 
17 
25 
32 
17 
25 
32 


Amount  lost  for  100  pounds 
of  cheese — 


At  40°  F.    At  50°  F.   At  60°  F 


Pounds. 
4.5 
5.3 
7.0 
2.7 
3.5 
4.5 
4.2 
5.6 
3.0 
4.3 
6.2 
4.4 
5.3 
6.8 
4.6 
6.6 
9.1 
4.6 
5.5 
7.2 
2.5 
3.1 
4.5 
0.3 
0.6 
0.9 
3.4 
4.4 
5.3 
0.3 
0.4 
0.7 


Pounds. 
4.4 
6.0 


3.7 
4.5 


5.8 
7.2 
5.4 
7.4 


5.4 
5.7 


8.1 
11.1 


Pounds. 
6.! 


5.1 


8.8 
8.2 


6.6 
8.3 


2.4 
4.0 


0.5 
0.9 


4.2 


0.5 
0.5 


1.5 


From  the  data  contained  in  the  above  table,  we  are  enabled  to  make 
the  following  statements: 

(1)  The  cheese  continued  to  lose  water  in  nearly  every  case  as  long 
as  weighings  were  made.     This  was  true  of  all  temperatures. 

(2)  The  loss  of  weight  was  least  at  40°  F.  and  increased  with  increase 
of  temperature.  At  the  end  of  twenty  weeks  the  cheese  in  tempera- 
ture 40°  F.  had  lost  on  an  average  3.8  pounds  per  100;  that  in  50°  F., 
4.8  pounds;  and  that  in  60°  F.,  7.8  pounds.  The  loss  at  temperature 
40°  F.  was  1  pound  less  than  at  50°  F.,  and  4  pounds  less  than  at  60^ 
F.  In  other  words,  the  loss  at  60°  F.,  as  compared  with  the  loss  at 
50°  F.,  was  three  times  as  great  as  was  the  loss  at  50°  F.,  compared 
with  the  loss  at  40c  F.  The  loss  of  weight  was  proportionally  greater 
at  higher  temperatures. 


78 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


(3)  If  we  determine  the  average  weekly  loss  from  the  data  given  in 
this  table,  we  find  that  during  the  first  twenty  weeks  the  loss  was  at 
the  average  rate  of  3  ounces  a  week  at  40°  F.,  3.8  ounces  at  50°  F.,  and 
6.2  ounces  at  60°  F.  From  the  twentieth  to  the  twenty-eighth  week 
the  average  weekly  loss  was  2.2  ounces  at  40°  F.  and  3.2  ounces  at 
50°  F.  The  cheese  kept  at  40°  F.  appeared  to  lose  more  moisture  per 
week  from  April  10  to  June  1  than  previously. 

(4)  The  size  of  cheese  influences  the  loss  of  moisture.  Small  cheeses, 
other  conditions  being  the  same,  lose  a  larger  proportion  of  moisture 
in  curing  than  do  large  cheeses,  owing  to  the  greater  amount  of  sur- 
face relative  to  weight  in  the  smaller  cheeses.  This  tendency  is  shown 
by  the  following  tabulated  statement: 

Weight  lost  pir  100  pounds  of  cheese  in  twenty  weeks. 


Average  weight  of  cheese. 


Pound* 

70 

45 

35 

12i 


At  40°  F. 

At50°F. 

At  60°  F. 

Pounds. 

Pounds. 

Pounds. 

2.5 

2.4 

4.2 

2.7 

3.7 

5.1 

3.9 

5.9 

8.5 

4.6 

8.1 

12.0 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  variation  is  much  less  at  40°  than  at  the 
higher  temperature. 

(5)  The  method  of  covering  cheese  with  paraffin  greatly  reduces  the 
loss  of  moisture.  In  VI  An  and  Bn  the  cheeses  were  in  natural 
condition,  while  in  VI  Ap  and  Bp  they  were  covered  with  paraffin, 
being  dipped  in  melted  paraffin  when  a  few  days  old.  The  loss  of 
moisture  in  cheese  covered  with  paraffin  was  only  0.3  pound  per  100 
pounds  of  cheese  in  twent}r  weeks  at  40  F.,  0.5  pound  at  50°  F.,  and 
1.4  pounds  at  60?  P.  In  the  same  kind  of  cheese  not  thus  covered  the 
loss  of  moisture  was  much  greater  at  all  temperatures.  By  covering 
cheese  with  paraffin  a  saving  in  loss  of  moisture  can  be  effected 
amounting  to  5  or  6  pounds  per  100  pounds  of  cheese  at  60°  F.,  and 
at  50°  or  below  the  total  loss  of  moisture  can  be  reduced  to  less  than 
1  pound  per  100  pounds  of  cheese.  In  addition,  the  use  of  paraffin 
prevents  the  growth  of  molds.  In  ever}7  case  cheeses  covered  with 
paraffin  were  entirely  clean,  while  the  others  were  more  or  less  heavily 
coated  with  molds. 

KKNII.TS    00    COM.MKKCIAI.    K.XAMINATION    OK    CIIKKNK. 

Arrangements  were  made  to  have  the  cheese  examined  at  intervals 
by  the  commercial  experts  already  named,  who  were  to  score  the 
cheeses  separately,  the  basis  of  a  perfect  cheese  being  50  for  flavor, 
25  for  texture,  15  for  color,  and  10  for  finish.  We  give  the  average 
of  the  scores  in  the  following  table: 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


79 


Result*  of  scoring  of  cJieese. 


Lot. 

Date  of  exam- 
ination. 

Temper- 
ature of 
curing 
room. 

Flavor. 

Tex- 
ture. 

Color. 

Finish. 

Total 
score. 

Remarks. 

°F. 

Oct.     6, 1902 
Dec.  15,1902 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

40 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

do 

50 

46.5 

23 

15 

10 

94.5 

do 

60 

46 

22 

15 

10 

93 

Feb.  13,1903 

40 

46.7 

23.3 

15 

10 

95 

do 

50 

44.3 

23 

14.7 

10 

92 

I 

60 

42.7 

22 

14.3 

10 

89 

Apr.   10,1903 

40 

46.3 

23 

14.7 

10 

94 

Flavor  not  perfectly 
clean. 

do 

50 

44.7 

22.7 

14.6 

10 

92 

Flavor  somewhat 
tainted. 

June    1, 1903 

40     • 

48 

24.7 

15 

10 

97.7 

Clean  flavor  and  silky 

Oct.      6, 1902 
Dec.   15,1902 

48 
48 

24 
23.5 

15 
15 

10 
10 

97 
96.5 

texture. 

40 

do 

50 

48 

23 

15 

10 

% 

do 

60 

47 

22.5 

15 

10 

94.5 

Feb.  13,1903 

40 

46 

22 

15 

10 

93 

II 

^ 

50 

45 

22 

15 

10 

92 

.....do 

60 

44 

22 

15 

10 

91 

Apr.   10,1903 

40 

45.7 

22.3 

15 

10 

93 

Flavor  not  perfectly 
clean. 

do 

50 

43.7 

22.3 

14.7 

10 

90.7 

Flavor  tainted. 

June    1,1903 

40 

46 

23 

15 

10 

94 

Flavor    flat;     texture 

[Oct.      7, 1902 
Dec.   15,1902 

48 
48.5 

24 
24 

15 
15 

10 
10 

97 
97.5 

smooth  and  silky. 

40 

do 

50 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

do 

60 

46.5 

33 

15 

10 

94.5 

Feb.   13,1903 

40 

47.7 

23.7 

15 

10 

96.4 

Flavor  clean;  texture 

Ill 

wax-like. 

do 

50 

47.7 

24 

15 

10 

96.7 

do 

60 

45.3 

23.3 

14.8 

10 

94.4 

Apr.  10,1903 

40 

47.7 

24 

15 

10 

96.7 

do 

50 

46.7 

23.7 

15 

10 

95.4 

Flavor  slightly  bitter. 

June    1,1903 

40 

47 

24 

15 

10 

% 

Flavor  clean;  texture 
smooth  and  silky. 

'Oct.      8, 1902 

47 

23 

14 

10 

94 

Rather  acid  and  of  im- 

perfect color. 

Dec.  15,1902 

40 

47. 5 

23.5 

14 

10 

95 

do 

50 

46.6 

22.5 

13.5 

10 

92.5 

do 

60 

44.5 

22 

13.5 

10 

90 

Feb.  13,1903 

40 

44.7 

22.7 

13.3 

10 

90.7 

do 

50 

42.3 

22 

12.3 

10 

86.6 

do 

60 

41.7 

21.3 

12 

10 

85 

IV  A 

Apr.  10,1903 

10 

46 

23 

14.7 

10 

93.7 

Flavor  acid;  texture 
stiff. 

do 

50 

43. 3 

22 

13 

10 

88.3 

Flavor  acid    and   not 

t 

clean;  texture 
harsh:  color  imper- 
fect. 

June    1,1903 

40 

46 

23 

12.7 

10 

91.7 

Flavor  clean;  texture 
smooth  and  silky: 
color  light. 

80 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


Results  of  scoring  of  cheese — Continued. 


Lot. 

Date  of  exam 

11  hi  tit  >ii 

Temper 

ature  of 

curing 

room. 

Flavor. 

Tex- 
ture. 

Color. 

Finish. 

Total 
score. 

Remarks. 

/Oct.      8, 1902 

°F. 

48 

23 

15 

10 

96 

Dec.   15,1902 

40 

48 

23.5 

15 

10 

96.6 

do 

50 

47.5 

23.5 

15 

10 

96 

do 

60 

46.5 

22.5 

15 

10 

94 

Feb.   13,1903 

40 

47.3 

23.7 

15 

10 

% 

IV  B 

do 

50 

45 

22 

15 

10 

92 

do 

60 

44 

22 

15 

10 

91 

Apr.  10,1903 

40 

46.3 

24.3 

15 

10 

95.6 

do 

50 

46.3 

24 

14.7 

10 

95 

June    1, 1903 

40 

46.7 

23.3 

15 

10 

95 

Flavor  clean;  texture 

Oct     13,1902 
Dec.  15,1902 

46 

23 

15 

10 

94 

wax-like. 

40 

46.5 

23.5 

15 

10 

95 

....do 

50 

45 

22.5 

15 

10 

92.5 

....do 

60 

40.5 

20.5 

15 

10 

86 

Feb.   13,1903 

40 

45.3 

21.3 

14.7 

10 

91.7 

....do 

50 

43.7 

20.3 

14.7 

10 

88.7 

V 

do 

60 

43 

20 

14.7 

10 

87.7 

Apr.   10,1903 

40 

45.3 

22 

14.7 

10 

92 

Flavor  and  texture 
imperfect. 

....do 

50 

44 

21.7 

14.3 

10 

90 

Slightly  bitter  and  of 
weak  texture. 

June    1,1903 

40 

46 

22.7 

15 

10 

93.7 

Flavor  clean;  texture 

Dec.  15,1902 

40 

49 

24 

15 

10 

98 

smooth  and  pasty. 

....do 

50 

48.5 

23.5 

15 

10 

97 

....do 

60 

48 

23.5 

15 

10 

96.5 

Feb.  13,1903 

40 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

VI.  An... 

....do 

....do 

50 
60 

48 
45.3 

24 
23 

15 
15 

10 
10 

97 
93.3 

Apr.  10,1903 

40 

48 

a 

aodzj 

10 

97 

....do 

60 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

June    1,1903 

40 

47.7 

24.3 

15 

10 

97 

Surface  covered  with 

Feb.   13,1903 

40 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

mold. 

....do 

60 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

....do 

60 

46.3 

23.3 

15 

10 

94.3 

VI.  Ap... 

Apr.  10,1903 
....do 

40 
50 

48.3 

48 

24 
24 

15 
15 

10 
10 

97.3 
97 

June    1,1903 

40 

48.7 

24.3 

15 

10 

98 

Condition  practically 
perfect;    surface 

Feb.   13,1903 

40 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

bright  and  clear. 

....do 

50 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

...do 

60 

44.7 

22.7 

14.3 

10 

91.7 

VI.  Bn... 

Apr.   10,1903 

40 

•    48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

....do 

50 

47 

24 

15 

10 

% 

June    1,1903 

40 

47.7 

24.3 

15 

10 

97 

Surface  covered   with 

Feb.  13,1903 

40 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

mold. 

....do 

50 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

t 

....do. 

60 

45.7 

23 

15 

10 

93.7 

VI.  Bp... 

Apr.  10,1903 

40 

48 

24 

15 

10 

97 

....do  . 

50 

47 

24 

15 

10 

96 

June    1,1903 

40 

48.7 

24.3 

15 

10 

98 

Condition  practically 
perfect;  surface 
bright  and  clean. 

THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


81 


From  the  data  embodied  in  the  preceding  table,  we  are  able  to 
present  the  following-  statements  as  a  summary  of  the  results: 

(1)  Almost  without  exception  the  cheese  cured  at  lower  tempera- 
tures was  superior  in  quality  to  that  cured  at  higher  temperatures. 
Cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  usually  scored  higher  than  that  cured  at  50° 
F.,  and  the  cheese  cured  at  50°  F.  scored  higher  in  every  instance 
than  that  cured  at  60°  F.  Averaging  all  our  results,  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing general  scores  for  the  different  temperatures:  At  40°  F.,  95.7; 
at  50°  F.,  94.2;  at  60°  F.,  91.7.  From  these  figures  we  see  that  the 
cheese  deteriorated  considerably  more  at  60°  F.  as  compared  with  50° 
F.  than  it  did  at  50°  F.  as  compared  with  40°  F.  The  difference  of 
scores  is  1.5  in  favor  of  40°  F.,  as  compared  with  50°  F.,  and  2.5  in 
favor  of  50°  F.  as  compared  with  60°  F.  In  other  words,  the  higher 
the  temperature  the  greater  is  the  relative  deterioration  of  cheese  in 
quality  for  each  degree  of  temperature. 

(2)  The  difference  in  quality  fell  mostly  on  the  flavor  and  texture. 
Averaging  all  the  figures,  we  have  the  following  results: 

Averages  of  flavor  and  texture. 


Qualities. 

At  40°  F. 

At  50°  F. 

At  60°  F. 

Flavor 

47.4 
23.4 

46.4 
23 

44.8 
22.2 

Here  also  we  see  that  the  difference  is  greater  between  60°  and  50° 
F.  than  between  50°  and  40°  F.  in  the  direction  of  poorer  quality. 

(3)  At  any  given  time  the  jured  at  40°  F.  was  usually  better 

in  quality  than  that  at  50°,  and  that  at  50°  was  better  than  that  at  60°. 
The  longer  the  time  of  curing  the  greater  was  the  difference  in  favor 
of  the  lower  temperatures.  The  following  tabulated  averages  of  the 
results  illustrate  the  statements: 

Averages  for  different  ages. 


Age  of 
cheese. 

Score  at 
40°  F. 

Score  at 
50°  F. 

Score  at 
60°  F. 

Weeks. 

10 

96.3 

94.7 

92 

20 

93.8 

91.5 

89.7 

28 
35 

94.2 
95.3 

91.9 

The  cheese  cured  at  60°  showed  such  deterioration  in  quality  at  the 
end  of  twenty  weeks  that  it  was  sold.  While  the  cheese  cured  at  40° 
and  50°  showed  some  deterioration  in  quality  at  twenty  weeks,  it  scored 
higher  at  twenty-eight  weeks  than  at  twenty  weeks.  The  cheese  kept 
at  40°  showed  its  highest  score  at  thirty-five  weeks  in  several  cases. 

4189— No.  49—03 0 


82 


BUBEAU    OK    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


The  higher  score  was  always  in  favor  of  the  lower  temperature  by 
several  points. 

(A)  The  effect  of  covering  cheese  with  paraffin  was  in  several  Cases 
to  improve  the  quality  as  compared  with  cheese  not  so  covered.  The 
difference  was  more  marked  at  60°  than  at  lower  temperatures.  The 
cheese  covered  with  paraffin  and  cured  at  40°  showed  its  highest 
score  at  the  end  of  thirty-five  weeks. 

Results  of  use  of  paraffin. 


Character  of  cheese. 


Cheese,  normal  (An) 

Cheese,  normal  (Bn) 

Cheese  covered  with  paraffin  (Ap) 

Cheese  covered  with  paraffin  (Bp) 

Cheese,  normal  (An) 

Cheese,  normal  (Bn) 

Cheese  covered  with  paraffin  (Ap) 

Cheese  covered  with  paraffin  (Bp) 

Cheese,  normal  (An  and  Bn) 

Cheese  covered  with  paraffin  (Ap  and  Bp). 


Age  in 

weeks. 


At  40°  F. 


97 

97 

97 

97 

97 

97 

97.3 

97 

97 

98 


At60°F.    At60°F, 


91.7 
94.3 

93.7 


RESULTS   OF   CHEMICAL    ANALYSIS   OF   CHEESE. 

The  analytical  data  upon  which  the  following  discussion  of  chemical 
results  is  based  were  obtained  by  the  methods  described  in  Bulletin 
No.  215  of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and  the 
table  giving  these  data  in  full  may  be  found  in  Bulletin  No.  234  of  the 
same  series.  But  in  this  work  the  paranuclei n,  caseoses,  and  peptones 
were  not  separated  from  one  another,  their  combined  amount  being 
obtained  by  difference. 

(1)  The  process  of  cheese  ripening. — When  cheese  ripens,  the  most 
prominent  change  taking  place  is  in  the  nitrogen  compounds.  The 
casein  of  milk  is  changed  by  the  action  of  rennet  enzyme  into  curd. 
chemically  known  as  paracasein.  In  the  process  of  cheese  making, 
lactic  acid  is  formed  and  this  unites  with  the  paracasein,  forming  a 
compound  known  as  paracasein  monolactate."  It  is  this  compound 
that  imparts  to  cheese  curd  the  property  of  forming  fine  strings  on  a 
hot  iron,  and  it  is  the  formation  of  this  paracasein  monolactate  that 
accounts  for  the  changes  in  appearance,  plasticity,  and  texture  of 
cheese  curd  during  the  process  of  cheddaring.  However,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  changes  that  take  place  in  the  process  of 
cheese-ripening  start  with  and  are  dependent  upon  the  presence  of 
paracasein  monolactate  or  some  similar  compound.  Hence,  from  a 
chemical  point  of  view,  cheese  ripening  consists  mainly  of  the  change 
of  paracasein  monolactate  into  other  forms  of  nitrogen  compounds, 
chief  among  which  in  the  order  of  their  formation  are  paranuclein. 
caseoses,  peptones,  amido  compounds,  and   ammonia.     These  com- 


"Bull.  No.  214,  N.  Y.  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 


83 


pounds,  formed  from  paracasein  monolactate,  are  readily  soluble  in 
water,  while  paracasein  monolactate  is  not.  Hence,  in  ripened  cheese 
we  have  larger  amounts  of  substances  that  are  soluble  and  smaller 
amounts  of  substances  that  are  insoluble.  Ripened  cheese  is  for  this 
reason  believed  to  be  more  readily  digestible  than  green  cheese.  The 
amount  of  soluble  nitrogen  compounds  is  used  as  a  measure  of  the 
extent  of  cheese  ripening. 

This  present  investigation  offers  an  opportunity  for  studying  the 
chemical  results  of  cheese  ripening  under  different  conditions  of  tem- 
perature and  with  a  number  of  different  types  of  Cheddar  cheese  under 
commercial  conditions. 

(2)  Moisture  in  cheese. — Before  taking  up  a  stud}'  of  the  nitrogen 
compounds  of  the  cheese  under  investigation  we  will  call  attention  to 
the  amount  of  moisture  in  the  cheese. 

In  the  case  of  lots  I,  II,  III,  and  IV,  in  which  the  moisture  was 
determined  when  the  cheese  was  placed' in  cold  storage,  the  moisture 
content  was  found  to  vary  from  34.20  to  35.44  per  cent;  this  may  be 
regarded  as  a  comparatively  small  variation.  In  lots  IV  and  V  the 
moisture  must  have  been  above  40  per  cent  at  the  time  the  cheese  was 
placed  in  cold  storage,  because  ten  weeks  later,  when  the  first  analysis 
was  made,  the  moisture  was  about  39  per  cent.  The  result  of  moisture 
determination  shows  a  gradual  decrease  in  moisture  as  the  cheese 
becomes  older,  as  indicated  by  the  following  averages: 

Per  cent  of  moisture  in  cheese. 


At40°F.       At50°F. 


When  put  in  cold  storage 36. 50 

After  being  in  storage  ten  weeks 36. 30 

After  being  in  storage  twenty  weeks i  35. 35 


36.50 
35.70 
34.66 


At  60°  F. 


36.60 
35.65 
34.26 


The  decrease  of  moisture  is  greater  with  increase  of  temperature,  a 
point  which  has  been  dwelt  upon  in  connection  with  loss  of  weight. 

(3)  Amount  of  paracasein  monolactate  in  cheese. — The  amount  of 
paracasein  monolactate  formed  in  the  different  cheeses  when  one  and 
two  weeks  old  varied  from  40.70  to  66.14  per  cent  of  the  nitrogen  in 
the  cheese  and  averaged  57.49  per  cent.  The  amount  decreased  as  the 
cheese  aged,  and  more  rapidly  at  higher  than  at  lower  temperatures, 
as  shown  by  the  following  general  averages: 

Percentage  of  nitrogen  in  cheese  inform  of  paracasein  monolactate. 


Age  of  cheese. 

At40°F. 

At50°F. 

At60°F. 

1  week 

57.49 
47.94 
47.10- 
40.54 
36.36 

57.49 
42.08 
35.24 
31.82 

57.49 

37  09 

20  weeks 

30.77 

35  weeks ■ 

84 


BUREAU    OF    ANIMAL    INDUSTRY. 


This  diminution  of  paracasein  monolactate  is  undoubtedly  due  to  its 
conversion  into  water-soluble  nitrogen  compounds. 

(4)  Anion  tit  of '  iiiater-solitble  nitrogen  compounds  in  cheese. — While 
the  amount  of  water-soluble  compounds  of  nitrogen  in  cheese  is  not  a 
guide  in  respect  to  the  detailed  chemical  changes  taking  place  in  ripen- 
ing cheese,  it  serves  as  a  general  indication  of  the  extent  and  rapidity 
of  those  changes.  The  data  below,  representing  averages  of  our 
results,  show  that  the  amount  of  water-soluble  nitrogen  increases  with 
increase  of  temperature  and  with  lapse  of  time: 

Percentage  of  nitrogen  in  clieese  in  form  of  water-soluble  compounds. 


Age  of  cheese. 

At  40°  P. 

At60°F. 

At60°F. 

14.55 
20.03 
24.12 
26.27 
27.64 

14.55 
25. 18 
31.56 
33.00 

14.55 

28.48 

36.24 

(5)  Amount  of  amido  compounds  in  cheese. — The  amido  compounds 
of  cheese  are  of  interest  because  it  is  possible  that  among  these  com- 
pounds we  are  to  look  for  the  substance.or  substances  responsible  for 
cheese  flavors.  Little  or  no  cheese  flavor  appears  in  cheese  until  amido 
compounds  are  formed.  The  amount  of  amido  compounds  increases 
with  temperature  and  with  lapse  of  time,  as  shown  by  the  following 
averages: 

Percentage  of  nitrogen  in  clieese  inform  of  amido  compounds. 


Age  of  cheese. 

At40°F. 

At  50°  F. 

At  60°  F. 

4.06 

4.06 
8.98 
8.95 
12.70 

4.06 

1             6.92 

9.85 

5. 53 

13.30 

I              7.60 

9. 00 

(6)  Amount  of  ammonia  in  cheese. — The  formation  of  ammonia 
compounds  in  cheese  may  possibly  be  associated  also  with  the  develop- 
ment of  cheese  flavor.  No  ammonia  is  found  in  fresh  cheese.  It 
begins  to  be  formed  in  appreciable  quantities  in  about  four  weeks 
and  increases  with  the  age  of  the  cheese.  Its  amount  is  greater  at 
higher  than  at  lower  temperatures.  The  following  averages  give  a 
good  idea  of  the  amount  found  in  cheese  under  the  conditions 
indicated: 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE. 

Percentage  of  nitrogen  in  cheese  inform  of  ammonia. 


85 


Age  of  cheese. 

1    At40°F. 

At50°F. 

At  60°  F. 

0 

0 

1.87 
3.44 
3.48 

0 

1. 20 

1.97 

L62 

3.36 

28  weeks 

2.52 

SOME    PRACTICAL   APPLICATIONS. 

From  the  data  presented  in  the  foregoing  pages,  we  have  seen  that 
the  use  of  low  temperatures  in  curing  cheese  shows  two  prominent 
results — (1)  reduction  of  loss  of  weight  and  (2)  improvement  of  com- 
mercial qualit}\  Any  reduction  in  loss  of  weight  or  any  improve- 
ment in  quality  means  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  money  that  can 
be  realized  in  the  sale  of  the  cheese.  It  is  a  matter  of  practical  inter- 
est and  importance  to  consider  in  detail  what  specific  increased  or 
decreased  market  values  were  found  for  the  cheese  under  the  different 
conditions  of  experiment. . 

ECONOMY    IX    REDUCING    LOSS   OF    MOISTURE. 

We  have  seen  that  the  loss  of  moisture  in  curing  cheese  can  be 
reduced  by  using  a  lower  temperature,  or  by  covering  cheese  with  a 
thin  coating  of  paraffin,  or  by  a  combination  of  these  two  conditions. 

Inweased  amount  of  cheese  resulting  from,  using  low  temperatures. — 
Taking  the  longest  period  of  time  for  which  we  were  able  to  compare 
the  results  at  the  different  temperatures  employed  (twenty  weeks),  it 
was  found  that  the  cheese  cured  at  40fc  F.  had  lost,  on  an  average,  3.8 
pounds  for  100  pounds  of  cheese;  the  cheese  at  50°  F.  had  lost  4.8 
pounds,  and  that  at  60°  F.  7.8  pounds.  For  100  pounds  of  cheese 
originally  placed  in  the  curing  rooms  at  the  different  temperatures, 
we  had  for  sale  at  the  end  of  twenty  weeks  96.2  pounds  of  cheese 
cured  at  40°  F.,  95.2  pounds  cured  at  50°  F.,  and  92.2  pounds  cured 
at  60°  F. 

Assuming  that  the  cheese  sells  at  a  uniform  price  of  10  cents  a 
pound,  there  would  be  receipts  from  the  original  100  pounds  of  each 
of  the  different  cheeses  as  follows: 

Cheese  cured  at  40°  F $9.  62 

Cheese  cured  at  50°  F 9. 52 

Cheese  cured  at  60°  F  9.22 

Under  these  conditions,  the  receipts  from  the  cheese  kept  at  40°  F. 
are  10  cents  per  100  pounds  more  than  for  that  kept  at  50°  F.  and  40 
cents  per  100  pounds  more  than  that  kept  at  60°  F.  As  will  be 
pointed  out  later,  the  differences  are  really  greater  than  this. 

Increased  amount  of  cheese  resulting  from  covering  cheese  with  a  coat- 
ing of  paraffin. — At  the  end  of  seventeen  weeks,  cheese  covered  with 


B6 


Kt'KEAU    OF    ANIMAL    ISIH'STRY. 


paraffin  had  lost  only  0.9  pound  for  100  pounds  of  cheese  originally 
placed  in  storage  at  !«'  1'..  0.8  pound  at  ."."  F..  and  1.4  pound-  at 
F.  The  saving  thua  effected,  liased  on  the  uniform  price  of  cheese 
at  LO  cento  a  jwund.  would  average  al>out  '!.'-  cento  f<>r  1""  pounds  of 
oheeae  cored  at 40  F..4>s  cents  for  100  pound- at  60  P.,and64eento 
for  100  pounds  at  60  F.;  or,  comparing  cheese  kept  at  4«»  F..  cov- 
ered with  paraffin,  with  cheese  kept  at  00  F.  not  so  covered,  t! 
would  1m'  a  difference  of  about  75  cent.-  per  1,M|  pounds  in  favor  of  the 
paraffined  ch. 

The  cost  of  covering  cheese  with  paraffin  is  slight.     Conveniences 
for  the  work  can  be  obtained  from  manufacturers  of  dairy  supplies. 

Increaxxl  wtku  resulting  Jrom  impt  in  guat&yqfoktjeie  Cured 

at  Ion-  t,  u,j»  nit  urea. — We  have  already  studied  the  results  of  the  s<  - 
furnished  by  the  experts  who  examined  the  cheese  from  time  to  time. 
They  were  requested  also  to  place  upon  the  different  lots  of  cheese  I 
commercial  valuation  based  upon  the  results  of  their  scoring.  Below 
we  present  these  commercial  valuations  in  tabulated  form.  The 
experts  projierly  disregarded  the  actual  market  rates,  which  have 
fluctuations  Bometimes  difficult  t<>  account  for.  and  established  aa  their 
constant  basis  of  valuation  13  cents  per  pound  for  cheese  scoring  over 
95  point-. 

Value  of  one  pound  of  cheese. 


Date  of  ex- 

Temper- 
ature 
caring 
room. 

Lot 

I. 

Lot 
II. 

Lot 

III. 

Lot  IV. 

Lot 
V. 

Lot  VI. 

amination. 

A 

B. 

An. 

Ap. 

Bn. 

Bp. 

°F. 

Cents. 

dent*. 

1 1 UU. 

Cents. 

Cents. 

OnUs.     Cents. 

Cents.    Cents. 

CenU. 

Dec  15, 1902 . 

40 

13 

13 

13 

13 

13 

13 

13.75 

13.75 

h  n 

Do 

60 

12.75 

13 

13 

12.50 

13 

12.50 

13.75 

13.75     13.75 

13.75 

Do 

60 

.12.50 

12.75 

12.75 

12 

12.75 

11.75 

13.75 

13.75 

13.  75 

Feb.  13,  1903 . 

40 

13 

12.50 

13 

12 

13 

12.  SB 

14.25 

14.25 

14.25 

Do 

n 

1X25 

12.25 

13 

11.75 

12.25 

12 

14.25 

14.25 

14.25 

Do 

60 

12 

12.50 

11.75 

11.::. 

13.50 

13.75 

UL« 

Apr.  9.  1908.. 

40 

12.50 

13 

12.50 

13 

12.50 

14.75 

Do 

50 

12.25 

12.25 

13 

12 

13 

12.25 

14.50 

14.75      14.50 

Jtiiu-1,  1903.. 

40 

14.50 

14.50      14  75 

In  studying  the  data  embodied  in  this  table,  the  following  points 
are  noticeable: 

(1)  In  the  case  of  lots  I  to  V,the  value  of  the  cheese  cured  at  i 
was  greater  in  most  cases  than  that  cured  at  ."»<i  F.,  and  in  every  case 
greater  than  that  cured  at  6o  F.  In  most  ease-,  the  cheese  cured  at 
V.  had  a  higher  value  than  that  cured  at  60  F.  These  -tat.  ments 
hold  good  for  the  twenty  weeks  during  which  the  cheeses  were  kept 
at  the  three  different  temperature-.  If  the  cheese  cured  at  »'><»  F. 
had  been  kept  for  a  longer  period,  it  would  have  shown  -crious 
decrease  is  value. 


THE    COLD    CURING    OF    CHEESE.  87 

In  the  case  of  lot  VI,  the  value  was  the  same  for  all  temperatures 
on  December  15,  when  the  cheese  was  about  eight  weeks  old.  And 
this  lot  was  of  so  much  better  quality  that  it  was  assigned  a  value 
above  the  13-cent  basis,  in  proportion  to  its  score  above  95  points. 
Two  months  later,  there  was  no  difference  at  the  temperature  of  40° 
and  50°  F.,  but  the  cheese  kept  at  60°  had  a  lower  value  than  the 
cheese  kept  at  the  lower  temperatures.  In  April,  when  the  cheese 
was  about  twenty-five  weeks  old,  there  was  a  little  difference  in  favor 
of  the  lower  temperatures. 

(2)  In  comparing  the  cheese  covered  with  paraffin  (lot  VI,  Ap  and 
Bp)  with  that  left  in  natural  condition  (lot  VI,  An  and  Bn),  there 
was  no  difference  in  their  value  during  the  first  seventeen  weeks  at  the 
temperatures  40c  and  50°  F.  At  60°  F. ,  at  the  end  of  seventeen  weeks, 
the  cheese  covered  with  paraffin  was  valued  at  a  quarter  of  a  cent  a 
pound  more  than  the  unparaffined.  When  the  cheese  kept  at  40°  F. 
was  twenty-five  and  thirty -two  weeks  old,  there  was  no  difference  in 
value  between  the  paraffined  cheese  and  that  not  paraffined;  but  in  the 
cheese  kept  at  50°  F.  there  was,  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  weeks,  an 
increased  value  of  a  quarter  of  a  cent  a  pound  in  favor  of  the  paraffined 
cheese.  It  thus  appears  that  the  results  are  more  marked  at  higher 
temperatures  than  at  lower  temperatures  in  favor  of  the  paraffined 
cheese,  but  even  then  only  after  the  first  few  months  of  ripening. 
The  chief  value  of  paraffining  cheese  appears  to  be  in  preventing  loss 
of  moisture  and  in  keeping  the  surface  of  the  cheese  free  from  molds. 

(3)  If  we  average  the  results  obtained  with  the  different  lots  of 
cheese,  we  have  the  following  figures: 


Value  per  pound  of  chee 

se  cured  at  different  temperatures. 

Date  of  examination. 

At  40°  F. 

At50°F. 

At  60°  F. 

Dec.  1 5, 1902 

('i)its. 
13.300 
13.275 
13.525 

Cents. 
13. 175 
13.050 
13.325 

Oents, 

12.950 

Feb.  13, 1903 

12. 675 

Apr.  9,  1903 

At  the  end  of  ten  weeks  the  cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  was  worth  12£ 
cents  more  per  100  pounds  than  the  cheese  cured  at  50°  F.  and  35  cents 
more  than  that  cured  at  60°  F.  The  cheese  cured  at  50°  F.  was  worth 
22£  cents  per  100  pounds  more  than  that  cured  at  60°  F. 

At  the  end  of  twenty  weeks  the  cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  was  worth 
22£  cents  more  per  100  pounds  than  the  cheese  cured  at  50°  F.  and  60 
cents  more  than  that  cured  at  60°  F.,  while  that  cured  at  50°  F.  was 
worth  37£  cents  per  100  pounds  more  than  that  cured  at  60°  F. 

At  the  end  of  twenty -eight  weeks  the  cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  was 
worth  20  cents  more  per  100  pounds  than  that  cured  at  50°  F. 

Increased  receipts  from  clwe.se  cured  at  loir  temperature*  a  ml  covered 
with  paraffin. — We  have  seen  that  the  curing  of  cheese  at  low  temper- 


88 


BUBEAO    OF    ANIMAL    INDI  BTBY. 


stores  baa  the  effect  of  (1)  preventing  loss  of  moisture  and  (2)  Increas- 
ing the  value  of  the  cheese.  Therefore,  we  not  only  have  more  cheese 
to  sell  but  can  sell  it  at  a  higher  price.  Taking  cheese  twenty  weeks 
old  as  a  basis  for  comparison,  we  know  how  much  weight  is  lost  at 
different  temperatures  and  also  the  difference  in  price.  From  these 
figures  the  following  tabulated  statement  is  given: 

Money  return.*  at  several  temperatures. 


Tempera- 
ture of 
curing. 

Cured 

cheese 

equivalent 

to  100 

pounds  of 

green 
cheese. 

Market 
price  of  1 
pound  of 

cheese. 

Receipts 

from 

cheese. 

°K 
40 
50 
60 

Pounds. 
96.2 
95.2 
92.2 

13. 275 
13.050 
12.675 

Dollars. 
12.77 
12. 42 
11.69 

These  figures  indicate  that  from  100  pounds  of  green  cheese  put  into 
the  curing  room  we  were  able  to  realize  from  that  cured  at  40°  F.  35 
cents  more  than  from  cheese  cured  at  50°  F.,  and  $1.08  more  than  from 
that  cured  at  60°  F.  From  the  cheese  cured  at  50°  F.  we  received  73 
cents  more  a  hundred  pounds  than  from  that  cured  at  60°  F. 

If  we  compare  our  results  obtained  with  cheese  covered  with  paraffin 
with  those  given  by  cheese  not  so  covered,  we  have  the  following  tab- 
ulated statement: 

Cured  cheese  equivalent  to  100  pounds  of  green  cheese  and  comparative  value  of  that 
paraffined  and  vn2>araffined. 


Temper- 
ature of 
curing 
room. 

Cured  cheese 

equivalent  to  100 

pounds  of  green 

cheese. 

Value  of  1  pound 
of  cheese. 

Receipts  from 
cheese. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

Not  par- 

^  affined. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

Not  par- 
affined. 

Paraf- 
fined. 

Nol  pur 
affined. 

°  F. 
40 
50 
60 

Pounds. 
99.7 

99.5 
'.is.  6 

Pounds. 
96.2 
96.2 
92.2 

Oenta, 
14.25 
14.25 
18.75 

Cents. 

14.25 
14.25 
13.50 

DoUan. 

14.21 
11.  I'.t 
18.66 

J)oBar». 

13.70 
13.  .56 
12.  15 

At  40°  F.  the  difference  in  favor  of  the  paraffined  cheese  is  51  cents 
for  100  pounds  of  cheese  originally  placed  in  the  curing  room;  at  50° 
F.  the  difference  is  63  cents,  and  at  60°  F.,  $1.11.  Covering  cheese 
with  paraffin  results  in  greater  saving  at  higher  temperatures  than  at 
lower  temperatures. 

Comparing  paraffined  cheese  cured  at  40°  F.  with  unparaffined 
cheese  cured  at  60°  F.,  we  find  a  difference  of  $1.70  for  100  pounds 
of  cheese  in  favor  of  the  paraffined  cheese  and  the  lower  temperature. 


O 


[Continued  from  2d  page  of  cover.] 


Dr.  J.  S.   Kelly,   care    Blomer  it   Michael    Co., 

Quin. -y.  111. 
Dr.  F.  I).  Ketehum.  South  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
Dr.  W.  B.  Lincoln.  Union  Stock  Yards.  Nashville 

Tenn. 
Dr.  c.  i.ovciirrry.  room  Kr_'  Custom-House,  Port- 
land, ( >reg. 
Dr.  II.  I>.  Mayne,  Malone,  X.  Y. 
Dr.  !.  Miller,  care  John  Morrell  &  Co.„  ottumwa. 

Iowa. 
Dr.  J.  c.  Milnrs.  care  The  Rath    Packing  Go., 

Waterloo,  Iowa. 
Dr.  C.  I..  Morin.  St.  Albans;  Yt. 
Dr.  A.  K.  Morse,  care  The  Agar  Packing  Co..  Des 

Moines,  Iowa. 
Dr.  \v. .!.  Murphy,  care  Springfield  Provision  c,,.. 

Bright  wood,  M 
Dr.  \V.  X.  Neil,  care  John  Cudahy  Co..  Wichita. 

Kans. 
Dr.  H.  D.  Paxson.  care  Swift  A:  Co..  Fori  Worth. 

Tex. 
Dr.  F.  M.  Perry,  Fort  Fairfield;  Me. 
Dr.   C    \V.    Pope.    Animal    Quarantine    Station, 

Athenia,  X.  .1. 
Dr.  11.  T.  Potter.  Calais.  Me. 
Dr.  A.C.G.  Richardson. care  Post-Office  Building, 

Kan;  as  City,  Kans. 


Dr.  W.  H.  Rose.  18  Broadwav,  New  Yor 

Dr.  P.  L.  Kiis-ell.  Orono.  Me. 

Dr.  J.  F.  Ryder,  care  V .  S.  Consul,  Liverpool, 
England. 

Dr.  K.  P.  Schaffter,  care  Cleveland  Provision  Co., 
Cleveland,  <  (hio. 

Dr.  c.  A.  SchaUfler,  134  South  Second  st.,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

Dr.  T.  A.  Shipley,  care  T.  M.  Sinclair  &  Co..  Ltd.. 
Cedat  Rapids.  Iowa. 

Dr.  X.  C.  Sorenson.  care  Kingan  &  Co..  Indian- 
apolis, Did. 

Dr.  R.  P.  Steddom.  room  HI.  Deaderick  Building, 
Knoxville.  Tenn. 

Dr.  William  Thompson.  Exchange  Building, 
Sioux  City,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Win.  H.  Wade,  Animal  Quarantine  Station, 
Halethorp.  Md. 

Dr.  H.  X.  Waller.  109  West  12d  st.,  Xew  York, 
X.  Y. 

Dr.  G.  W.  Ward.  Newport,  Yt. 

Dr.  B.  P.  Wende.  Live  stock  Exchange  Building, 
East  Buffalo.  X.  Y. 

Dr.  W.  II.  Wray.  21  Railway  Approach,  London 
Bridges.  E..  London.  England. 

Dr.  C.  H.  Ziuk,  care  Western  Packing  Co.,  Denver, 
Colo. 


dairy  i.vsi'Ki  tors; 


W.  D.  Collyer.  210  South  Water  st..  Chicago.  111. 

.lames  Hewes,  21  Hi  North  Charles  st..  Baltimore, 
Md. 

M.  W.  Lang.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Wash- 
ington, D.  c. 

E.  A.  McDonald.  58  and  59  Downs  Block.  Seattle. 
Wash. 

Wni.  E.  Smith,  168  Chambers  st..  Xew  York.  X.  Y. 


B.  F\  Yan  Valkenburgh,  168  Chambers  st.,  New 

York,  X.  Y. 
K.  II.  Webster  (in  the  field,  or),  Manhattan,  Kans. 
Levi  Wells  (Bradford  County),  Spring  Hill,  Pa. 

C.  M.  Whitaker.  1'.  O.  box  1332,  Boston.  M. 

W.  II.  Savior,  111  California  st..  San  Francisco, 
Cal. 


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